The US has paused immigrant visa applications globally due to a “planned global training initiative” that will allow closer screening and vetting of applicants, a State Department spokesperson told HT on Wednesday, a move that comes amid measures by the Donald Trump administration to tighten legal and illegal entry avenues into the country.
“In early August, we launched a global training initiative at all of our embassies and consulates worldwide. 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. In its crackdown, the Trump administration has also made legal immigration more difficult – for example, by imposing new and expensive fees for applicants of certain work visas.
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.
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. 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. He says the crackdown aims to improve domestic security.
The policy earlier allowed foreign students to stay in the US legally so long as they maintained their student status.
