The Trump administration has paused immigrant visa appointments worldwide to train consular officials on identifying applicants who may need public assistance in the US, according to reports by Financial Times and Reuters.
In a move aimed at tightening entry rules into the United States, the Donald Trump administration has halted immigrant visa appointments across the globe. This decision was made to enable consular officials to undergo a global training initiative at all US embassies and consulates, as reported by Financial Times and Reuters.
According to the State Department, the training is intended to help officials identify applicants likely to become dependent on public assistance in the United States. The purpose of this training is to ensure that visa applications are evaluated 'comprehensively and consistently', as quoted by Reuters.
Applicants who were scheduled for interviews at US embassies have received emails informing them that their appointments will be rescheduled to accommodate this training. It is important to note that this decision comes amidst efforts by the Trump administration to tighten rules for entry into the United States.
On Friday, a federal judge struck down a policy that would have suspended immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries, including Pakistan and Bangladesh, as reported by Reuters. The court ruled that the policy exceeded the statutory authority of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to the report.
The Trump administration is also planning to revoke business and tourist visas of about 2,00,000 foreigners seeking asylum status in the United States, according to AP. If implemented, this would be the single-largest mass cancellation of visas in US history.
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