Trump administration pauses immigrant visa appointments worldwide
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Washington: The Trump administration has temporarily suspended immigrant visa interview appointments at US embassies and consulates around the world as it rolls out new training for consular officers.
The exercise is aimed at enabling visa officials to assess whether prospective immigrants could become reliant on government-funded assistance after arriving in the United States, according to a report by the Financial Times.
The State Department has begun the training programme across its overseas missions. Officials said interview schedules were being revised to facilitate the sessions and that applicants whose appointments have been affected would be given new dates.
Several applicants awaiting immigrant visa interviews have reportedly received emails from US missions informing them that their appointments have been postponed.
The department said the initiative would help officers conduct a more detailed and uniform assessment of applications, particularly in cases where an applicant may be considered likely to depend on public benefits.
The suspension is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to toughen immigration controls and restrict entry into the country.
The development follows a federal court order last week blocking a proposed plan to stop immigrant visa processing for citizens of 75 countries, including Pakistan and Bangladesh. The court ruled that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had gone beyond his legal authority in pursuing the policy.
The administration is also examining plans to cancel business and tourist visas of nearly 200,000 foreign nationals who have sought asylum in the US. Such a move, if carried out, would mark the largest visa cancellation exercise in the country’s history.
Separately, the US government on Monday proposed a new fee exceeding $100,000 for fresh H-1B visa applications. The H-1B programme allows American employers to recruit overseas professionals for specialised jobs, particularly in technology and engineering.
Indians have remained the largest group of H-1B beneficiaries. They accounted for 71 per cent of H-1B visas issued by the US during the 2023-24 financial year.
