Arya News - The pause came days after a federal judge in Manhattan struck down a Trump administration policy that had suspended immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries deemed at high risk of becoming dependent on public assistance.
SEOUL – The US Embassy in Seoul has suspended immigrant visa interviews through Aug. 31 as the part of a worldwide pause while the US State Department conducts “in-depth training” for consular officers on applicant screening.
The embassy canceled immigrant visa interviews scheduled between Aug. 25 and 31 and notified affected applicants that their appointments would be rescheduled, according to local reports. Some applicants, however, said they had yet to receive new interview dates.
Interviews for most nonimmigrant visas, including B-1 visas for short-term business travel, F-1 student visas and H-1B work visas, were continuing as of Wednesday.
The training focuses on screening applicants who may become dependent on US public benefits. The department has not disclosed a detailed training schedule or curriculum.
The pause came days after a federal judge in Manhattan struck down a Trump administration policy that had suspended immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries deemed at high risk of becoming dependent on public assistance.
US District Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled Aug. 21 that the policy exceeded the secretary of state’s statutory authority and unlawfully overrode the role Congress had assigned to consular officers in deciding individual visa cases.
Posts began appearing Tuesday on Mijunmo, a Korean online community for prospective US immigrants with some 420,000 members, from applicants reporting disruptions following the cancellation of their visa interviews.
“I was going to go to the US Embassy today for my interview for a K-1 fiance visa, but was notified of my cancellation,” one user wrote. K-1 fiance visas, although technically classified as nonimmigrant visas, are generally processed by immigrant visa units.
Some users also expressed concern over whether the suspension could affect short-term travel, asking whether upcoming business trips or tourist visits to the US could be disrupted.
The US Embassy in Seoul said it had no additional information to provide regarding the suspension.