U.S. State Department Pauses Immigrant Visa Applications

The Trump administration has paused immigrant visa applications to conduct “in-depth training” as it seeks to tighten restrictions on applicants.

Updated guidance and training were being put in place to ensure that visa applicants don’t become a public charge under U.S. law or depend on government benefits intended for Americans in need, a spokesman for the department said Wednesday.

Immigrant visa applicants with interviews scheduled at U.S. embassies and consulates have been notified by email that their appointments are being postponed. It wasn’t clear how long the freeze would be in place.

“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.

“The Trump administration is protecting the American people by 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. Applicants from developing countries might find it harder to progress their applications under the new guidance, she added.

The effort is the latest in a series of moves by the administration 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. It has also proposed new fees of more than $100,000 for obtaining H-1B work visas.

In a related move on Monday the State Department announced 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.

The government is seeking to revoke business and tourist visas held by immigrants who officials say came to the U.S. for short-term visits and later filed for asylum, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said. The State Department and Department of Homeland Security are reviewing all B-1 business and B-2 tourist visas, he said.

Earlier this month, President Trump signed executive orders seeking to further restrict birthright citizenship after the Supreme Court blocked his administration’s 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 traveling 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 U.S.