State Department Pauses Immigrant Visa Applications for ‘In-Depth Training’

The Trump administration has paused immigrant visa applications in order to carry out what the State Department calls “in-depth training”, as it seeks to tighten restrictions on applicants.

Updated guidance and training are being put in place to ensure that visa applicants do not become a public charge under U.S. law or depend on government benefits intended for Americans in need, a department spokesman said. Immigrant visa applicants with interviews scheduled at U.S. embassies and consulates have been notified by email that their appointments are being postponed; it was not clear how long the freeze would last.

Public-charge rules at the centre

“Since early this year the State Department has been working on updating guidance and training related to public charge to ensure all consular officers are fully equipped to evaluate every visa applicant comprehensively and consistently,” the spokesman said, adding that the administration is “upholding the highest standards of screening and vetting of visa applicants”.

Melissa Chavin, a London-based U.S. immigration lawyer, said she expects the pause to be temporary. “I don’t think that they’ll leave this indefinitely, especially for wealthier developed countries,” she said, adding that applicants from developing countries might find it harder to move their applications forward under the new guidance.

Part of a wider crackdown

The move is the latest in a series of steps to tighten immigration rules. The government has revoked visas held by international students and immigrants who commented on the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and has proposed new fees of more than $100,000 for obtaining H-1B work visas.

On Monday the State Department said it was planning what could be the largest mass visa revocation in U.S. history, targeting as many as 200,000 foreigners who entered the country on temporary visas before applying for asylum. Spokesman Tommy Pigott said the department and the Department of Homeland Security are reviewing all B-1 business and B-2 tourist visas.

Birthright citizenship and earlier revocations

Earlier this month, President Trump signed executive orders seeking to further restrict birthright citizenship, after the Supreme Court blocked an earlier effort to deny citizenship to some children born in the U.S. to noncitizen parents. The new orders would broaden the categories of people ineligible for birthright citizenship and seek to prevent foreigners from travelling to the U.S. to give birth.

The State Department said earlier this month that it had revoked more than 175,000 visas from foreigners it said had committed crimes, violated the terms of their visas or engaged in conduct that posed a threat to the United States.