Marrakech – The US Consulate General in Casablanca will continue providing American citizen services and scheduled visa appointments during the current government shutdown, according to the US Embassy in Rabat.
The embassy announced today that due to a lapse in appropriations, its website and social media accounts will not receive regular updates until full operations resume. However, essential services will continue as the situation permits, with exceptions made for urgent safety and security information.
The partial government shutdown began Saturday after Congress failed to enact funding legislation before the midnight deadline. The Senate passed a funding package Friday with a 71-29 vote, but the measure requires House approval before becoming law.
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The package includes five long-term appropriations bills while extending Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding for two weeks.
This extension allows negotiations on immigration enforcement following the fatal shooting of American citizen Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents (ICE) in Minnesota, marking the second killing by enforcement officers this month.
House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed confidence that funding will resume by Tuesday. “We’ll get all this done by Tuesday, I’m convinced,” Johnson said on Fox News Sunday. The House Rules Committee is scheduled to consider the legislation Monday afternoon after Democrats declined to support fast-tracking the measure.
The shutdown affects multiple departments, including Defense, Homeland Security, State, Treasury, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development.
The announcement lands as US visa services in Morocco undergo a significant transformation. In December, the US announced reduced waiting times for visa appointments from ten months to approximately two months, representing an 80% reduction from late 2024 levels.
The improvement was followed by increased consular staffing at the Casablanca facility to handle growing visa demand ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The State Department assigned additional officers to process applications, with thousands of new interview slots scheduled for January and February.
Andrew Giuliani, Executive Director of the White House World Cup Task Force, confirmed the changes benefit Moroccan football supporters planning US travel for the tournament. The US expects between five and seven million international visitors for the competition running from June 11 to July 19.
The current shutdown recalls the recent record-breaking 43-day closure. It began on October 1, 2025 after Congress failed to pass funding legislation, becoming the longest shutdown in US history. During that period, the US Embassy in Morocco suspended regular operations while maintaining essential services for American citizens and visa applicants.
The crisis finally ended on November 12, when lawmakers negotiated a spending deal that included a continuing resolution to keep the government funded into 2026, combined with several full-year appropriations bills.
The Senate advanced it with bipartisan support, and President Donald Trump signed it into law. Several Senate Democrats joined all Senate Republicans (except Rand Paul) in advancing the deal before it passed both chambers.
This resolution allowed thousands of federal workers on unpaid leave to return to work and restored food assistance programs that had been suspended for more than 42 million Americans.
