The U.S. State Department has paused immigrant visa appointments worldwide for consular officer training The U.S. government is observing a temporary worldwide pause in appointments for immigrant visas to the United States, to allow time for consular officer training, the State Department announced Wednesday.
These appointments, mainly consisting of an interview between a foreign visa applicant and a consular officer, will be “adjusted” to allow for the training, a State Department spokesperson said in an email to AFP, confirming reports from U.S. media.
The measure applies to all U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide. It does not affect tourist, student, business, or temporary work visas. It was not specified when appointments might resume, but a State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the pause could last “several weeks” depending on the embassy.
What the Training Is For
The training, initiated earlier this month but begun this week, aims in particular to ensure that “visa applicants are not likely to become a public charge”, according to the State Department, which has been updating guidelines on the “public charge” concept since the start of the year. Foreign nationals applying for visas must be notified of changes to their appointments, which may be rescheduled, the same source added.
Donald Trump has made combating illegal immigration a priority, carrying out mass deportations while also broadly restricting legal entry and cracking down on visa overstays. Several of his flagship measures have nonetheless been struck down by courts.
On Tuesday, the U.S. government said it was ready to revoke business and tourist visas for up to 200,000 foreigners who had applied for asylum, which the White House called “the largest visa revocation in” the country’s history. In early August, the State Department said around 175,000 foreigners had had their visas revoked since Trump returned to power in January 2025, for reasons ranging from criminal activity to “celebrating” the assassination of conservative figure Charlie Kirk.
A U.S. federal judge ruled last Friday that a January freeze, covering 75 countries, on visa procedures for permanent residence was illegal.
- Source: AFP
