The path to America is narrowing. Here’s what that means for legal immigrants

Experts advise green card and other visa applicants to stop assuming that following the rules guarantees a smooth way to stay in the US

US embassies and consulates around the world have postponed immigrant visa interviews so that officers can train on a stricter “public charge” test: whether an applicant is likely to rely on public benefits.

The freeze came days after a federal judge struck down a separate 75-country visa block built on the same idea.

The State Department emphasises that officers must apply the test “comprehensively and consistently”.

The factors themselves are not new: age, health, family size, money, education, skills and job prospects. What has been added is the instruction to apply them more aggressively, including by issuing public charge bonds in some cases.

Sarah Pierce, director of social policy at Washington-based think tank Third Way – who is also a former US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) analyst – said the Donald Trump administration “chose the most disruptive possible way to roll this out”.

Charles Kuck, an Atlanta immigration lawyer who last year represented more than 100 students against the administration, said officers were being trained “on how to deny cases under public charge rules”.

Family applicants would find it “much harder to immigrate”, he said, adding that the change would also hurt diversity lottery applicants.