The Trump administration has temporarily paused immigrant visa applications worldwide to allow what the State Department calls “in-depth training” for consular officers, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
The decision is the latest part of the administration’s campaign to reduce immigration to the United States. Applicants who already had interviews scheduled at US embassies and consulates received emails informing them that their appointments had been postponed. Officials said new dates and times would be announced later, according to Anadolu.
A State Department spokesperson said the training was intended to ensure that consular officers could assess every applicant “comprehensively and consistently”. The department also said applicants should be unlikely to become dependent on public benefits or be classified as a “public charge” under US law.
The sudden cancellations have caused frustration among applicants who had spent large sums of money and made major personal arrangements to attend their interviews. Brian Simmons, a senior US consular manager at immigration law firm Fragomen, said many people had their appointments cancelled at the last minute.
The State Department has not said when normal appointments will resume.
Meanwhile, the administration is preparing another visa crackdown. Officials plan to revoke the visas of foreigners who entered the country as tourists or business visitors and later applied for asylum in an attempt to remain permanently. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott called obtaining a visa for that purpose “fraud” and said it could justify visa cancellation.
The White House claimed that as many as 200,000 visas could be affected, describing the move as the largest mass visa revocation in US history. The State Department has not confirmed that figure, saying the number could change as reviews continue.
Since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, the administration says about 175,000 visas have been revoked for reasons including criminal offences and alleged support for political violence.
The government is also planning wider checks of applicants’ social media accounts. “A visa is a privilege, not a right,” Pigott said.
