US stops processing immigrant visas, expects pause to last weeks

The United States has paused the processing of all immigrant visas. The Trump administration explained the hold is designed to allow time to train consular officers on how to handle applications.

Big picture view:

Officers at U.S. embassies and consulates are being shown how to handle processing the visas to comply with restrictions meant to prevent people who might end up needing public benefits from coming to the U.S. 

What's next:

The State Department expects the hold to last until mid-September, but it did not provide a specific timeline when asked by The Associated Press. Applicants who had their interviews canceled or postponed by the move, most of whom had appointments this month, will have their interviews in September, October, or November, the agency said.

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Dig deeper:

Late last week, a federal judge ruled that Secretary of State Marco Rubio exceeded his statutory authority when he suspended processing of visas for individuals from 75 countries who the Trump administration considered likely to seek public assistance after their arrival. 

U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled that Rubio’s directive, which targeted nations primarily in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, violated the law by denying eligible applicants visas for reasons that are not based on the law. 

The Trump administration is also preparing to revoke business and tourism visas from up to 200,000 people from other nations who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum in the U.S. The State Department is expected to announce the revocation of the B-1and B-2 visas in the coming weeks.

 

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