Trump administration issues pause on visa appointments for applicants worldwide

• The Trump administration has paused visa appointments worldwide for training aimed at stricter applicant screening amid an ongoing immigration crackdown.
• The crackdown includes visa and green card revocations and targets applicants based on political views, causing legal challenges and human rights concerns.
• Human rights groups condemn the policies for discrimination and racial profiling, while new fees and restrictions make legal immigration harder under Trump's 2024 campaign.

WASHINGTON – The Trump administration has issued a pause on visa appointments for applicants worldwide amid an ongoing immigration crackdown by the US government in President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House.

A US State Department spokesperson said on Aug 25 that it launched a global training initiative at all US embassies and consulates worldwide, and that appointments for visa services will be adjusted to accommodate the training.

Trump has pursued an aggressive deportation drive and immigration crackdown that includes revocations of visas and green cards and rejection of applications for a range of reasons, such as political opinions and pro-Palestinian protests against US ally Israel’s assault on Gaza.

The US leader says the crackdown aims to improve domestic security.

The crackdown has faced some legal setbacks.

A US judge on Aug 21 struck down a Trump administration policy suspending the issuance of immigrant visas to ​applicants from 75 countries, saying the policy exceeded Secretary of ‌State Marco Rubio’s statutory authority.

The State Department did not specify details on the training and its timeline beyond saying the training aimed to help consular officers screen out applicants deemed likely to become dependent on US public benefits and to ensure evaluation of visa applicants “comprehensively and consistently”.

The pause on visa appointments was reported earlier by the Financial Times, which said immigrant visa applicants with scheduled interviews at US embassies and consulates have received e-mails that their appointments were being rescheduled and that they would receive future notice of a new date.

Human rights groups have widely condemned Trump’s immigration crackdown as being discriminatory and in violation of free speech and due process rights.

Rights groups also say the crackdown has created an unsafe environment in the US, especially for ethnic minorities who have raised concerns about racial profiling.

While Trump campaigned in 2024 on a ​platform of stopping illegal immigration, his administration has also made legal immigration more difficult – for example, by imposing new and expensive ​fees for certain work visa applicants. REUTERS