Trump administration pauses immigrant visa interviews for public charge training

The Trump administration directed U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide to postpone immigrant visa interviews while consular officers finish training on new public-charge guidance, Fox News reported.

A public-charge finding can make an immigrant visa applicant inadmissible if officers conclude the person is likely to become dependent on certain public assistance after arriving in the United States. The State Department said the global training is meant to make those evaluations comprehensive and consistent.

"In early August, we launched a global training initiative at all of our embassies and consulates worldwide. To accommodate this in-depth training, appointments for visa services will be adjusted," a State Department official said in a statement.

For most posts, the sessions were expected this week. The department did not say when canceled interviews would be rescheduled. Applicants who received cancellation notices were told a new date would come later, without a firm timeline.

The pause covers immigrant visa interviews that had reached the appointment stage. It is separate from earlier administration moves on work visas, student and journalist stay limits, and a reported plan to revoke business and tourism visas for large numbers of people tied to asylum filings.

A federal judge on Friday struck down a State Department policy that had suspended immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries, ruling that the policy exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statutory authority, Fox News noted. Litigation over other immigration measures continues.

The training focus is legal immigrant pathways that already require an interview, not a blanket freeze on every visa category. Nonimmigrant tourist and business appointments may follow different local scheduling rules, so applicants should read the exact notice from their post.

Families waiting on spouse, parent or sibling immigrant visas should rely on official embassy and National Visa Center notices. Third parties who demand fees to restore an interview slot are a common scam target during scheduling disruptions.