The Trump administration has paused immigrant visa application appointments worldwide during a wide-ranging crackdown on foreign criminals, welfare leeches and asylum cheats.
The State Department confirmed on Wednesday all appointments would be halted while consular officers at US embassies and consulates are given “in-depth” training to help them weed out applicants who were likely to become dependent on government benefits.
“A more prosperous American means ensuring that visa applicants are not likely to become a public charge, as defined under US law and regulation, and not likely to become dependent on US public benefits reserved for qualified Americans in need,” a State Department spokesperson told The Hill.
The spokesperson said “appointments for visas and services will be adjusted”, but “whenever there are changes to visa interview appointments, embassies and consulates communicate any changes directly to visa applicants”.
Earlier this week the US said it was carrying out a mass revocation of short-term visas belonging to immigrants who used them to enter the country before filing asylum claims, with the aim of cancelling 200,000 visas.
The Trump administration also said it has revoked another 175,000 visas due to criminality, along with carrying out mass deportations of illegal immigrants, and cancelling visas and green cards or rejecting applications on national security grounds.
On Friday, Joe Biden-appointed US District Judge Jeannette Vargas struck down a separate policy that suspended immigrant visa processing from 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and Somalia, in order to prevent immigrants taking advantage of the US welfare system.
The State Department said while issuing the policy in January that more than 30% of households with immigrants from the 75 countries were receiving some form of welfare, but Judge Vargas ruled Secretary of State Marco Rubio has exceeded his authority.
The State Department said in response it was “protecting the American people by upholding the highest standards of screening and vetting of visa applicants”.
Header image: Donald Trump in New York (White House).
