The Department of State announced it will resume routine visa processing in phases.

The prior administration stopped visa processing of certain visa classes by issuing proclamations.  The Biden administration lifted those restrictions.  Now, the state department will prioritize certain immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing:

“Posts that process immigrant visa applications will prioritize Immediate Relative family members of U.S. citizens including intercountry adoptions, fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens, and certain Special Immigrant Visa applications.”

“Posts processing non-immigrant visa applications will continue to prioritize travelers with urgent travel needs, foreign diplomats, and certain mission critical categories of travelers such as those coming to assist with the U.S. response to the pandemic, followed by students (F-1, M-1, and certain J-1) and temporary employment visas (consistent with Presidential Proclamation 10052).”

Most consulates are still hampered by COVID-19 restrictions;  they are not all working at full staff.  Even so, this notice finally opens the door for further case processing across the board as the pandemic subsides.