The US State Department announced on Wednesday that it has temporarily halted immigrant visa applications worldwide. This decision is part of a “planned global training initiative” aimed at enhancing the screening and vetting process for applicants. The move aligns with ongoing efforts by the Donald Trump administration to tighten both legal and illegal immigration pathways into the United States.
“In early August, we launched a global training initiative at all of our embassies and consulates worldwide.
The screening will ensure that visa applicants are not likely to become a “public charge” who rely on public benefits reserved for American citizens, the official said. To accommodate this in-depth training, appointments for visa services will be adjusted,” the spokesperson said in response to a query from HT. It said that changes to visa interview appointments, embassies and consulates will be communicated directly to visa applicants. The training exercise, which the administration said aims to “protect the American people by upholding the highest standards of screening and vetting of visa applicants,” is the latest in a series of moves by the US to curb immigration.
The department has been working since early this year to ensure consular officers are equipped to evaluate visa applicants comprehensively and consistently. The State Department did not specify details on the training and its timeline.
Plans for a $100,000 fee on foreign students utilising the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program to work in America after graduating from a US university are also under consideration. A US judge on Friday struck down a Trump administration policy suspending the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries, saying that the policy exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statutory authority.
Indian students will also face greater restrictions , with the US government ending “duration of status” for student visas. Immigration lawyers said that the latest move has created significant uncertainty for visa applicants. “Applicants are being told that interviews will be rescheduled, but without a clear timeline for when normal processing will resume. For families who have already made travel, employment, housing, or relocation decisions around an interview date, even a temporary disruption can have substantial consequences,” said Ana Gabriela Urizar, immigration attorney at Manifest Law. He says the crackdown aims to improve domestic security.
Trump’s aggressive deportation drive and immigration crackdown also includes revocations of visas and green cards and rejection of applications over a range of reasons like political opinions and pro-Palestinian protests against US ally Israel’s assault on Gaza. The crackdown has faced some legal setbacks.
The policy earlier allowed foreign students to stay in the US legally so long as they maintained their student status.
