US pauses all immigrant visa appointments worldwide amid crackdown
The Trump administration has paused all immigrant visa appointments worldwide to retrain consular officers on screening applicants likely to become dependent on US government support, the Financial Times reported.
A State Department spokesman said on Tuesday, Aug 25, the agency had launched a global training initiative at all US embassies and consulates, and that appointments for visa services would be adjusted to accommodate the training. Applicants with interviews already scheduled have been told by email that their appointments are postponed with new dates to be notified later.
A spokesperson said the aim was to ensure visa applicants are not likely to become a "public charge" or become dependent on public benefits reserved for qualified Americans. Under US law, a "public charge" designation applies to someone deemed likely to become primarily dependent on government support, based on factors including their finances, age, health, skills and family circumstances.
The pause came a day after the administration proposed a $103,265 application fee for H-1B visas, the non-immigrant work permit used by American companies to hire tens of thousands of skilled foreign workers annually, many from India and China.The proposal follows Trump's push last year to raise the H-1B fee to $100,000, which a court blocked in June.
The move extends a broader pattern of restricting legal immigration under Trump's second term. In January, the State Department suspended immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Pakistan and Bangladesh, citing a "full review" of screening and vetting procedures.
That policy suffered a legal setback on Friday when a US judge ruled it exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statutory authority.
