‘Panic’ as US immigrant visa interview pause hits at least 100 Hong Kong applicants
At least 100 Hong Kong-based applicants have been affected by the indefinite postponement of US immigrant interviews worldwide, consultants have said, with student and travel visa applications also disrupted. The global pause, which marks a sharp tightening of legal immigration under the Trump administration, has left some Hong Kong applicants fearing the United States could scrap the entire…
The indefinite suspension of US immigrant visa interviews has caused widespread concern among at least 100 Hong Kong applicants, according to immigration consultants. This global pause, a significant tightening of legal immigration under the Trump administration, has left many Hong Kong applicants fearing the US may abandon the entire immigration pathway.
The US consulate in Hong Kong informed one applicant that her scheduled interview this week had been rescheduled, but did not disclose the reason for the cancellation or provide a new date. Immigration consultant Willis Fu Yiu-wai reported that about 10 of his Hong Kong clients were notified that their visa interviews had been indefinitely postponed, while others were still in the vetting stage prior to the interview.
Fu expressed that his clients are panicking, as many have invested years and paid substantial fees, with the final step being the consulate interview. He described this situation as extremely rare but expected the disruption to last one to two months, attributing it to efforts to curb illegal migrants and asylum seekers, though not entirely suspending immigration pathways.
Consultant Peggy Lau Pik-ki confirmed that over 100 clients applying for investment immigration, including some mainland Chinese based in Hong Kong, were affected. The applicants received short notice, with some scheduled for interview dates just a day earlier than originally planned. Lau noted that while the move is uncommon, it aligns with the US's tightening of student visa requirements last year.
She believes the suspension will be temporary, expecting it to last at most a few months, and that the impact on applicants would be minimal, as US visa approvals typically take years. The US State Department stated that appointments for visa services have been adjusted as officers undergo training worldwide, emphasizing the need to uphold the highest standards of screening and vetting of visa applicants.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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