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The United States has suspended immigrant visa applications worldwide as the administration of President Donald Trump intensifies efforts to tighten immigration rules and prevent applicants deemed likely to depend on public assistance from entering the country.
A State Department official confirmed the development on Tuesday, saying the initiative was launched at US embassies and consulates globally earlier in August.
According to the official, visa appointments were being adjusted to allow for “in-depth training” of consular officers.
The State Department said the move was aimed at ensuring that consular officers were adequately equipped to assess visa applicants “comprehensively and consistently.”
Applicants whose interviews had already been scheduled were reportedly informed by email that their appointments had been cancelled and that new dates would be communicated to them.
The latest policy is intended to ensure that prospective immigrants would not become dependent on US public benefits, according to officials.
It also forms part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement drive, which has introduced tougher measures targeting both legal and undocumented immigration.
The development came a day after the administration announced plans to revoke the visas of some asylum seekers who initially entered the US on tourist or business visas before subsequently applying for asylum.
The State Department said it was working with the Department of Homeland Security to identify and revoke the visas of people who entered the country as temporary visitors before seeking asylum.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott described obtaining a visa under such circumstances as “fraud,” saying it could constitute grounds for visa revocation.
The White House said the latest measure could affect as many as 200,000 visas, describing it as the “largest mass visa revocation in history.”
The State Department, however, did not confirm the figure, saying the number of revocations remained fluid and that the process would be conducted on a rolling basis.
The immigrant visa pause follows an earlier attempt by the Trump administration to impose restrictions on visa applicants on similar “public charge” grounds. The measure, which affected nationals of 75 countries, was recently overturned by a federal judge.
Immigration advocates and lawyers have expressed concerns that the latest suspension could create immediate difficulties for applicants who had already spent substantial sums of money and made travel arrangements for scheduled interviews.
Brian Simmons, an attorney with immigration law firm Fragomen in Washington, said many affected applicants had likely spent thousands of dollars and made significant personal arrangements only for their appointments to be cancelled at short notice.
It remains unclear when the cancelled appointments will be rescheduled.
The Trump administration has also introduced other restrictions affecting visa applicants, including reviews of applicants’ social media histories and additional processing fees, according to reports by the Associated Press.
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