All US immigrant visa applications have been paused by the Trump administration as the state department moves to tighten restrictions and limit access to applicants who they deem could end up relying on US assistance, a state department official confirmed Tuesday.
The agency launched the initiative at all embassies and consulates in early August, according to the official and visa appointments had to be adjusted to accommodate “in-depth training”, according to the official. The state department has been working on updated guidance and training since early this year, “to ensure all consular officers are fully equipped to evaluate every visa applicant comprehensively and consistently”, they added.
Financial Times reports that applicants with interviews already scheduled were sent emails that their appointments had been canceled and that they would be informed of a new date and time.
Agency officials claim this will ensure visa applicants will not end up relying on US public benefits. But it’s part of a slate of strategies the Trump administration has employed to crack down on both lawful and undocumented immigration and create a more selective process for who can gain entry into the system.
This week the Trump administration also announced plans to revoke visas from asylum seekers who initially entered the country for tourism or business. Up to 200,000 people currently seeking asylum could be impacted, marking what would end up being the largest mass pulling of visas in the history of the US. The action is being taken in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.
Under Trump, visa applicants have also faced new restrictions, including review of their social media histories and added costs for processing, the Associated Press reported.
The pause on new visas and training program follows an attempt by Trump to block applications on a similar “public charge” basis, which included a block on applications from 75 countries selected by the administration, which was recently overturned by a federal judge.
“The court made clear that immigration laws cannot be used to justify discrimination,” Joanna Cuevas Ingram, senior staff attorney at the National Immigration Law Center said in a statement last week. “We are determined to ensure every person and family this ban harmed receives appropriate relief and will continue to hold this administration accountable to its obligations under the law.”
In February, a federal judge overturned the president’s attempt to suspend the US refugee system entirely. Federal agents, under Trump, have been allowed to block asylum seekers from entering the US, a move that human rights advocates said undermines international asylum laws.
The latest attempt to restrict access will cause immediate obstacles for those who have lawfully abided by an already challenging process, according to immigration law experts.
Many applicants impacted by the pause likely “spent thousands of dollars and disrupted their lives to attend scheduled interviews, only to have their appointments cancelled at the last minute”, Brian Simmons, an attorney at immigration law firm Fragomen in Washington told FT. It’s unclear when those appointments will be rescheduled.