The United States has suspended all immigrant visa applications globally as the Donald Trump administration works to tighten restrictions on applicants it deems likely to rely on U.S. public assistance.
A State Department official confirmed the delay on Tuesday, explaining that the initiative was launched across all U.S. embassies and consulates in early August.
The spokesperson, quoted by The Guardian on Wednesday, stated that visa appointments had to be rescheduled to accommodate “in-depth training” for consular officers to ensure comprehensive and consistent application evaluations.
The State Department confirmed that the temporary measure was implemented “to ensure all consular officers are fully equipped to evaluate every visa applicant comprehensively and consistently.”
According to the Financial Times, applicants with previously scheduled interviews received email notifications informing them of the cancellations, with assurances that new appointment dates would be provided in due course.
Agency officials stated that the directive aims to prevent prospective immigrants from relying on U.S. public assistance programs once admitted to the country.
The move represents another step in the Trump administration’s broader immigration strategy, which continues to target both legal entry avenues and unauthorized migration.
Meanwhile, this latest pause on US Immigrant Visa comes a day after the administration announced plans to revoke the visas of asylum seekers who initially entered the US for tourism or business before applying for asylum.
Backstory…
A State Department spokesperson confirmed that the agency is collaborating with the Department of Homeland Security “to identify and revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently.”
While most individuals with pending asylum applications will be reclassified and prohibited from traveling for business or tourism, the revocation of their visas will not automatically result in immediate deportation, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Although, the State Department statement did not specify the number ​of visas that will be revoked in the process.
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