The administration of United States President Donald Trump has paused immigrant visa applications worldwide as part of measures to tighten immigration screening and prevent applicants considered likely to depend on US public assistance from entering the country.
The US State Department said the pause was introduced to allow consular officers at American embassies and consulates around the world to undergo an in-depth training programme on the assessment of visa applicants.
The development affects immigrant visa applicants globally, with scheduled interviews being postponed as the US government adjusts its visa processing arrangements to accommodate the training exercise.
According to reports, the training is aimed at ensuring that consular officers apply screening procedures consistently, particularly when assessing whether prospective immigrants could become dependent on government benefits after arriving in the United States.
The State Department has not announced a specific date for the resumption of the affected visa appointments.
The latest development comes amid a broader immigration crackdown by the Trump administration, which has introduced stricter screening and other measures affecting foreign nationals seeking to enter or remain in the United States.
The pause is specifically focused on immigrant visa processing and should not automatically be interpreted as a suspension of every category of US visa. Earlier US government measures have separately affected particular visa categories and nationals of designated countries.
Applicants affected by the latest pause are expected to receive further information from US embassies and consulates regarding rescheduled appointments and the next steps in their applications.
