AdvertisementDonald TrumpChinaDiplomacy
The path to America is narrowing. Here’s what that means for legal immigrants
6-MIN READ6-MIN Listen
Khushboo RazdanPublished: 9:00am, 28 Aug 2026US green card interviews are on hold worldwide, student and work visas are subject to new restrictions, and citizenship is under fresh scrutiny. Here’s what the latest US immigration crackdown means for people planning to study, work or settle in America.
Why did the US cancel immigrant visa interviews?
US embassies and consulates around the world have postponed immigrant visa interviews so that officers can train on a stricter “public charge” test: whether an applicant is likely to rely on public benefits.
The freeze came days after a federal judge struck down a separate 75-country visa block built on the same idea.
The State Department emphasises that officers must apply the test “comprehensively and consistently”.
08:08Widespread anti-immigrant operations spark fear in Asian communities across the US
The factors themselves are not new: age, health, family size, money, education, skills and job prospects. What has been added is the instruction to apply them more aggressively, including by issuing public charge bonds in some cases.
Sarah Pierce, director of social policy at Washington-based think tank Third Way – who is also a former US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) analyst – said the Donald Trump administration “chose the most disruptive possible way to roll this out”.
Charles Kuck, an Atlanta immigration lawyer who last year represented more than 100 students against the administration, said officers were being trained “on how to deny cases under public charge rules”.
Family applicants would find it “much harder to immigrate”, he said, adding that the change would also hurt diversity lottery applicants.
Does this cancel my green card petition?
SCMP SeriesGlobal US immigrant visa pause: fallout across China, Asia and Hong Kong[ 5 of 5 ]AdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed00:0000:001.00x