Thousands of Kenyans seeking permanent residence in the United States face delays after President Donald Trump’s administration suspended immigrant visa appointments worldwide as part of stricter immigration screening measures.
The move affects applicants seeking Green Cards through family sponsorship, employment and other immigration pathways.
The directive, issued by the US State Department, requires consular officers to undergo additional training on assessing whether visa applicants are likely to become a “public charge” by relying on government support after settling in the United States.
As a result, US embassies and consulates around the world have postponed immigrant visa interviews.
Immigrant Visa Delays Hit Kenyans
The decision is expected to affect Kenyans with pending permanent residency applications, including those seeking to join family members already living in the United States and workers pursuing employment-based immigration opportunities.
US authorities have not indicated when normal processing will resume, creating uncertainty for applicants whose interviews had already been scheduled.
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According to The Financial Times, affected applicants are being notified that their appointments will be rescheduled once the training program is completed.
The suspension comes as the Trump administration intensifies scrutiny of legal immigration through tougher vetting requirements to determine whether immigrants can support themselves financially after arriving in the country.
President Donald Trump has argued that the measures are necessary to protect public resources and ensure immigration laws are applied consistently.
Part of Wider Immigration Crackdown
Trump is planning a major review of visitor visas issued over the past decade as part of its expanding immigration crackdown, with officials seeking to identify foreigners who entered the United States as tourists and later applied for asylum.
The administration says the measures are intended to ensure immigrants can support themselves financially and do not become dependent on public benefits.
“A more prosperous America means ensuring that visa applicants are not likely to become a public charge, as defined under US law and regulation, and not likely to become dependent on US public benefits reserved for qualified Americans in need,” a State Department spokesperson told the Financial Times.
The administration intends to scrutinize B-1 and B-2 visitor visas held by individuals who legally entered the country before filing asylum claims, raising the possibility of widespread visa revocations.
The review is expected to cover visas issued from 2016 to 2026.
B-1 visas are issued for business travel while B-2 visas are granted for tourism, medical treatment, and family visits.
Although visa holders are legally allowed to seek asylum if they later face persecution in their home countries, the administration is reportedly examining whether some applicants misrepresented their intentions when applying for visitor visas.
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The review could affect thousands of asylum seekers already living in the United States and waiting for decisions on their protection claims.
Third-Country Deportations Expand
The administration is also expanding so-called third-country deportation agreements, under which migrants can be removed to countries other than their own.
Liberia recently received the first group of deportees under such an arrangement after agreeing to accept up to 1,200 people over a 12-month period.
At the center of the administration’s immigration agenda remains aggressive enforcement by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Backed by a massive increase in immigration-enforcement funding approved by Congress, ICE has significantly expanded arrest and detention operations across the country.
Federal data show ICE arrested nearly 50,000 people in July 2026, the highest monthly total recorded during Trump’s second term, with Texas and Florida accounting for a large share of the arrests.
Recent court decisions have also cleared the way for the Trump administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections for several nationalities, including Somalis and Ethiopians living in the United States.
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