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The Trump administration has halted all US immigrant visa applications worldwide in the midst of ongoing immigration crackdown.
According to a US State Department spokesperson, the motive behind pausing the visa applications is the launch of a global training initiative at all US embassies and consulates globally. The appointments for visa services will be adjusted to accommodate the training.
The stated goal of the new guidance is to ensure consular officers comprehensively evaluate applicants to prevent admitting individuals who might rely on US public assistance.
As reported by Financial Times, the applicants with already-scheduled interviews had their appointments suddenly cancelled. They will have to wait for new dates to be announced.
According to agency officials, the changes will ensure that the visa applicants will not end up relying on US public benefits. The move comes after the Trump administration’s decision to revoke visas from up to 200,000 asylum seekers who originally entered on business or tourism visas.
All these efforts are part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration and deportation, including visa or green card revocations, application rejections over political opinions.
These measures coincide with other recent restrictions, including social media history reviews, increased processing costs, and a previously overturned ban targeting 75 countries.
Additionally, a US federal judge struck down a policy suspending immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries. As per the ruling, it exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statutory authority and violated laws prohibiting nationality-based discrimination.
However, the human rights-based groups have criticized the crackdown, arguing it violates due process and freedom of speech.
