The United States has temporarily paused or rescheduled immigrant visa interview appointments at embassies and consulates worldwide as the State Department conducts a global training program for consular officers.
A State Department spokesperson said Tuesday that the department had launched the training initiative across US diplomatic posts and that visa appointments would be adjusted to accommodate the program. The training is intended to help consular officers assess visa applicants more comprehensively and consistently, including whether applicants are likely to become dependent on US public benefits.
The State Department has not provided a timeline for how long the changes to appointment schedules will last. The Financial Times reported that some applicants who already had immigrant visa interviews scheduled received notices that their appointments had been rescheduled and that they would be given new dates later.
The latest disruption comes days after US District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan struck down a separate Trump administration policy that had suspended the issuance of immigrant visas to nationals of 75 countries, including Afghanistan.
In her August 21 ruling, Vargas said the policy exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statutory authority and conflicted with federal immigration law. Reuters reported that the judge found the policy unlawfully prevented consular officers from individually adjudicating immigrant visa applications based on applicants’ nationality.
The 75-country policy was introduced by the State Department in January and was justified on concerns that applicants from the affected countries could become public charges. The list covered countries across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America, including Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Brazil and Colombia.
The latest scheduling changes are separate from that court ruling. The State Department has continued to provide immigrant visa processing information and has instructed applicants to monitor the websites of the relevant US embassies and consulates for updates. Its current guidance also says existing immigrant visa appointments will generally not be rescheduled or canceled, although the new global training initiative has resulted in reported changes to some appointments.
The move comes as the Trump administration pursues broader changes to US immigration policy, including increased scrutiny of visa applicants. The State Department has also expanded the use of public-charge-related procedures for certain immigrant visa applicants, including a pilot program allowing consular officers to require some applicants to seek a public charge bond.
