The Trump administration has paused all immigrant visa applications processed at US embassies and consulates abroad, pending implementation of a new, expanded screening policy, NBC News reports.

The pause applies to immigrant visas — the category covering people approved to move permanently to the United States, such as family-based and diversity visa applicants. Nonimmigrant visa categories are not covered by the directive described in the report.

The halt stems from a new screening policy that will require expanded vetting of applicants' social media activity, according to the report. Consular sections overseas will not schedule or issue immigrant visa interviews and approvals until the administration rolls out the new screening procedures.

Who is affected

The directive reaches every applicant for an immigrant visa at a US embassy or consulate worldwide. That includes applicants for family-sponsored visas, employment-based immigrant visas and the Diversity Visa Program, the report states. Applicants with interviews already on the calendar face postponements until the new procedures take effect.

The pause does not itself deny any application. Instead, it freezes processing — interviews, adjudications and issuances — until the administration finalizes the expanded screening standard.

What changes under the new screening policy

The central change is social media vetting. Under the policy described by NBC News, consular officers will review applicants' social media activity as part of the standard background check before an immigrant visa can be issued. The administration has not completed the rollout of these procedures, which is why processing has stopped in the interim.

No end date for the pause appears in the report. The administration has likewise not published a fixed date for when the new screening procedures will take effect at consular posts.

Why it matters

The United States issues immigrant visas through its global network of embassies and consulates. A worldwide pause on that pipeline affects thousands of pending applications at once, since no post can advance a case to interview or issuance until Washington lifts the hold. Applicants who have already paid fees, completed medical exams or gathered civil documents may see their timelines stretch without a clear end date.

The measure fits the administration's broader push, reported by NBC News, to tighten screening of people seeking to immigrate to the United States. Earlier moves in this direction have included intensified vetting requirements at consular posts; the current directive extends that logic to all immigrant visa categories at once.

What applicants should watch

Applicants with pending immigrant visa cases should monitor announcements from the State Department and from the specific embassy or consulate handling their case, since individual posts will publish their own guidance on rescheduled interviews once the pause lifts. The State Department's official channels — travel.state.gov and individual embassy websites — remain the authoritative sources for case status.

NBC News based its reporting on a directive it reviewed. Neither the State Department nor the White House has announced a fixed timeline for resuming immigrant visa processing under the new screening standard, the report indicates.

This article summarizes a news report; it does not constitute legal advice. Readers with individual cases should consult official government sources or a licensed immigration attorney.