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

6-MIN READ6-MIN2ListenPublished: 9:00am, 28 Aug 2026US Green Card interviews are on hold worldwide, student and work visas are subject to new restrictions, and citizenship is under fresh scrutiny. Here’s what the latest US Immigration crackdown means for people planning to study, work or settle in America.Why did the US cancel immigrant Visa interviews?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”.08:08Widespread anti-immigrant operations spark fear in Asian Communities across the USThe 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.SCMP Series[ 5 of 5 ]