The US has paused visa appointments for applicants worldwide as President Donald Trump steps up his immigration crackdown during his second term in the White House, Reuters reported on Tuesday (local time).
A US State Department spokesperson stated that the department had launched a global training initiative across all US embassies and consulates worldwide, adding that visa service appointments will be adjusted to accommodate the training, according to the report. The department noted that the training initiative was launched this month across US diplomatic missions globally to strengthen the manner in which officers assess visa applications.
The spokesperson added that the department had launched “a global training initiative” to “ensure all consular officers are fully equipped to evaluate every visa applicant comprehensively and consistently”. “To accommodate this in-depth training, appointments for visa services will be adjusted,” the spokesperson said. The latest move comes as Trump’s second administration intensifies its immigration enforcement agenda, which has included tougher scrutiny of visa and green-card applicants, an aggressive deportation campaign, and an overhaul of refugee admissions.
Since last year, the administration has required immigrant visa applicants to generally process their cases in their country of citizenship, even when they are legally living and working in the US or have American spouses or children.
However, in an earlier setback for the Trump administration, a US judge on August 21 struck down a policy that suspended the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries, ruling that it exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statutory authority.
