Washington, August 26: The United States has paused or adjusted visa service appointments at its embassies and consulates worldwide as the administration of President Donald Trump undertakes a global training programme for consular officers, Reuters reported.
A US State Department spokesperson said the department had launched the training initiative across diplomatic missions to strengthen the assessment of visa applications. Visa service appointments are being adjusted to accommodate the programme.
Applicants with interviews already scheduled were informed by email that their appointments had been cancelled and that they would receive new dates and times, according to the Financial Times. The State Department has not specified when interviews will resume or when fresh appointments will be issued.
The department said the training, launched this month, is intended to ensure that consular officers assess visa applicants comprehensively and consistently.
The spokesperson said the department would ensure that applicants are not likely to become a public charge under US law or become dependent on public benefits reserved for eligible Americans.
The development comes as the Trump administration continues to tighten immigration and visa screening procedures. Its immigration policies have included increased scrutiny of visa and green-card applications, expanded deportation efforts and changes to refugee admissions.
The pause is expected to affect applicants whose visa processing requires interviews at US diplomatic missions outside the United States, including immigrant visa applicants.
Since last year, the administration has generally required immigrant visa applicants to process their cases in their country of citizenship, including some applicants who are legally residing and working in the United States or have family members who are US citizens.
The administration has said its immigration measures are intended to strengthen national security and enforce US immigration laws. The policies have also faced legal challenges and criticism from human rights groups over concerns related to discrimination, free speech and due process.
In a separate development, a US judge on August 21 struck down a policy that had suspended the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries, ruling that the measure exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statutory authority.
The State Department has not yet announced a timeline for the resumption of the affected visa interviews or the issuance of new appointment dates.