The ban began in January and affected more than 280,000 people who had applied for visas, including relatives of U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The State Department says on its website that the ban is no longer in effect. The department declined to comment on individual cases, citing pending litigation.

Dustin Hoffman, a U.S. Army veteran, began the visa process late last year for his wife, Gloria, a Colombian citizen. Their children — a 5-year-old daughter and Hoffman’s 12-year-old stepson — are with Gloria in Argentina, where the family had been living. Hoffman moved there in 2013 after serving in Iraq.

The family has not received its visa, and the State Department has asked for additional evidence that they can support themselves without relying on public benefits. Hoffman said he wants his daughter, who is autistic, to have access to educational and other resources he believes are more available in the United States.

Alexis Axelrad, president-elect of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said that lifting the ban has had little practical effect for applicants who cannot secure or complete visa interviews or receive their visa documents. Attorneys say the pattern suggests the administration is not carrying out the court order in practice.

The State Department said in August that it had paused visa processing to train embassy and consulate staff to identify applicants who might become a “public charge.” The additional review can affect even applicants whose visas have already been approved. A former consular officer, who requested anonymity over concerns about future employment, said a pause of this scale was unusual in her experience.

The delays also affect applicants seeking employment-based visas. Dr. Fernando Lizcano, a Colombian researcher whose work examines cardiovascular health issues including obesity, has been approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for an EB-1A visa for people with extraordinary ability. He is still waiting for the State Department’s final visa approval in Bogotá.

Lizcano said he hopes to continue biomedical research in the United States, combining his experience in endocrinology and molecular biology. He called the delay unfair.

The effects are personal and financial for families separated across borders. Hoffman said his daughter often cries and asks for him, while he is struggling to cover a U.S. mortgage and his family’s rent in Argentina. He said the strain has worsened his mental health, prompting doctors to increase his psychiatric medication.

A Cato Institute analysis said the ban affected thousands of close relatives, including spouses and minor children, and described it as among the most restrictive legal-immigration policies in U.S. history. The continuing delays leave families and workers waiting even after the policy that blocked their cases was struck down.