Trump administration pauses US visa appointments worldwide amid sweeping immigration crackdown

The Trump administration has paused visa appointments worldwide as part of an ongoing immigration crackdown. The State Department cited a global training initiative for consular officers, while immigrant visa applicants received emails rescheduling their interviews. The move follows a legal setback where a judge struck down a policy suspending visas from 75 countries.

The Trump administration has paused visa appointments for applicants around the world as part of an ongoing immigration crackdown in the president's second term. A State Department spokesperson said Tuesday that a global training initiative at all US embassies and consulates will adjust visa services to accommodate the training. The training aims to help consular officers screen out applicants deemed likely to become dependent on US public benefits and to ensure comprehensive and consistent evaluation. Immigrant visa applicants with scheduled interviews have received emails that their appointments were rescheduled, according to the Financial Times. The crackdown has faced legal setbacks: a US judge on Friday struck down a policy suspending immigrant visas from 75 countries, ruling it exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statutory authority. Trump has pursued aggressive deportation and visa revocations, including over political opinions and pro-Palestinian protests. Human rights groups have condemned the approach as discriminatory and in violation of free speech and due process rights. The administration has also made legal immigration more difficult by imposing new fees for certain work visas.