During this entire time, serious efforts were being made to procure immigration visas for the Rebbe and the Rebbitzin. The Previous Rebbe urged the lawyers and the other members of the chassidic community to make every effort to bring the Rebbe to America. An appeal was made to the State Department to grant the Rebbe a special immigration visa as a distinguished Jewish thinker and communal leader.

The Rebbe's file was first handled by the American consulate in Paris. They were reluctant to grant the Rebbe special status, noting that his curriculum vitae mentioned that he had been educated as an engineer. The chassidic community approached the State Department again, providing additional details to strengthen his claim for unique status.

The Rebbe's journeys from Paris to Vichy and then to Nice made the process of receiving the visas more difficult. Frequently, it was necessary for the communication between the Rebbe and his father-in-law and the chassidim in New York to be conducted in code. This process extended over a year.

Towards the end of his stay in France, the Rebbe transferred his files from Nice to Marseilles. The precise reason for the shift is unknown, but it appears that the Consul General in Nice was antisemitic and hindered the progress of Jewish emigration. In Marseilles, by contrast, the Consul General was sympathetic and enabled visas to be granted with greater ease.

On 26 Adar, 5701 (1941), the Rebbitzin wrote her father a letter stating that the American Consul had promised to provide them with visas and on 20 Nissan, the visas were actually received.