The U.S. Department of State has temporarily suspended the scheduling of immigrant visa appointments at its consular posts around the world, a spokesperson confirmed to the news agency EFE on Wednesday.
According to the official, the pause is meant to give consular officers time to be trained on new processing procedures. The spokesperson did not specify how long the suspension would last or when appointment scheduling would resume.
Immigrant visas differ from tourist or temporary visas in that they allow foreign nationals to enter the United States with the intention of becoming lawful permanent residents, commonly known as green card holders. The freeze raises questions for applicants who already had interviews scheduled at U.S. embassies and consulates, since it remains unclear whether those appointments will be honored, rescheduled, or delayed indefinitely.
The move comes amid broader scrutiny of U.S. immigration policy under the current administration, which has also moved to revoke visas from people who entered the country legally and later applied for asylum, with reports suggesting as many as 200,000 such visas could be affected.
Read the full original report at El Tiempo for more details on this developing story.
Image: Strooks-traveller1, BY-SA 2.0 (via Openverse).