A State Department official confirmed the development, saying the new measures were introduced at US diplomatic missions earlier this month.
The department said visa appointments were being adjusted to allow consular officers to undergo additional training to strengthen the assessment of applicants.
It explained that the training would help officers evaluate visa applications more thoroughly and apply immigration rules consistently.
Applicants who had already secured interview dates were reportedly informed that their appointments had been cancelled and that fresh dates would be communicated later. The government has not, however, given a specific timeline for rescheduling the interviews.
According to US officials, the policy is partly aimed at preventing immigrants from becoming dependent on government-funded public assistance. It is also part of the Trump administration’s broader campaign to tighten immigration controls.
The suspension follows another immigration measure announced a day earlier, involving plans to revoke the visas of some people who entered the United States on tourist or business visas before subsequently applying for asylum.
The State Department said it was working with the Department of Homeland Security to identify individuals whose visas may be subject to revocation.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott described obtaining a visa to seek asylum as “fraud — which is grounds for visa revocation.”
The White House has claimed that as many as 200,000 visas could be affected, describing the proposed action as the “largest mass visa revocation in history.” The State Department has not confirmed that figure, saying the number of cases remains subject to change.
The latest suspension comes after an earlier attempt by the administration to restrict visa applications on similar public-assistance grounds. The measure, which affected nationals from 75 countries, was recently overturned by a federal judge.
Immigration lawyers and advocacy groups have raised concerns that the new suspension could create difficulties for applicants who had already spent money on travel and other preparations for their scheduled interviews.
The Trump administration has also introduced other measures targeting visa applicants, including increased scrutiny of social media activity and additional processing charges.
The date for the resumption of immigrant visa interviews remains unclear.
