<p>The administration has ordered a temporary freeze on visa appointments at American embassies and consulates around the world. The State Department said the move was intended to allow for a global training program for consular officers, in order to improve screening and ensure a uniform examination of visa applicants, among other things, regarding the possibility that they would be dependent on public assistance in the United States.</p><p>According to the <i>Financial Times</i>, visa applicants who had already been scheduled for interviews received notices of postponed appointments, and were informed that a new date would be set in due course. At this time, no timetable for the resumption of appointments has been announced.</p> | Read More in News from Israel