US suspends all immigrant visa applications

The United States Department of State has suspended processing of immigrant visa applications from around the world as it conducts additional training for consular officers, according to a Financial Times report. The consular staff training initiative is intended to teach officers to evaluate each visa applicant thoroughly and consistently. The State Department has not yet announced when the interview stage for visa applicants will resume. The suspension of immigrant visa processing comes after a federal judge last week struck down President Donald Trump’s policy banning the acceptance of applications from immigrants from 75 countries.