US President Donald Trump’s administration has ratcheted up its immigration crackdown with a global freeze on visa appointments.

A US State Department spokesperson said on Tuesday (local time) it launched a worldwide training initiative at all US embassies and consulates and appointments for visa services would be adjusted to accommodate the training.

It is the latest step in the aggressive deportation drive and immigration crackdown pursued by Trump since he returned to the White House. It also includes revocations of visas ‌and green cards and ‌rejection of ⁠applications for reasons such as political opinions and pro-Palestinian ​protests against US ally Israel’s assault on Gaza.

Trump, who campaigned heavily on cracking down on immigration, has said the crackdown aims to improve domestic security.

Last Friday, a judge struck down a policy suspending immigrant visas being issued to applicants from 75 countries, saying it exceeded US Secretary of State ⁠Marco Rubio’s statutory authority.

In the latest development, the State Department did not specify ‌details ​of the training or its timeline. It said only that it aimed to help consular officers screen ​applicants deemed likely ‌to become dependent on US public benefits and to ensure evaluation of visa applicants “comprehensively and consistently”.

Washington has not said how long the training will take or how long appointments will be suspended. The lack of detail has created uncertainty for applicants who already had interview dates.

The ​pause on visa appointments was reported earlier by the Financial Times, which said immigrant visa applicants with scheduled interviews at US embassies and consulates had learned by email that their appointments ​were ​being rescheduled.

The worldwide pause could affect people seeking to move to the US through family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant visa programs.

It is also likely to affect companies and workers dealing with international transfers – visa delays can leave applicants stranded outside the US while they wait for new appointments.

This week, the Trump administration also announced it plans to  revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners who have applied for or are seeking asylum status ‌in the US – believed to be up to 200,000 people.

On Monday, a State Department spokesman said it was co-ordinating with the Department of Homeland Security “to identify and revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently”.

The Associated Press put the number of ​people whose business and tourism visas may be revoked at up to 200,000. If that goes ahead, it would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in US history.

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau alleged on X the American immigration system “has long been swamped by frivolous asylum claims”.

But Trump’s immigration crackdown ‌has been widely condemned by human rights groups as discriminatory and in violation of free speech and due process rights.

Rights groups also say the crackdown has created an unsafe environment in the US, especially for ethnic minorities who have raised concerns about racial profiling.

While Trump campaigned during the presidential election race in 2024 on a platform of stopping illegal immigration, his administration has also made legal immigration more difficult – f​or example, by imposing ⁠new and expensive fees for applicants of certain work visas.

-AAP