The wait for visitor visas to the United States could get a little longer, after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday revoking an Obama-era guideline on processing times at consulates.
The brief order, which was issued without comment from the White House or State Department, deletes a subsection of a 2012 order that sought to expedite the processing time for non-immigrant visas, including those needed by students and tourists.
The original order issued by then-President Barack Obama called on the State Department to “ensure that 80 percent of non-immigrant visa applicants are interviewed within 3 weeks of receipt of application.”
The new order comes amid months of efforts by the Trump administration to wield executive powers over certain immigration policies and implement what officials refer to as “extreme vetting.”
A White House official told VOA the amendment “removes an arbitrary requirement.”
“The president expects careful, accurate vetting of visa applicants, not a rushed process to accommodate an arbitrary deadline,” the official said Thursday.
The administration recently expanded the visa application process to include social media handles used during the last five years, and additional biographical information for the last 15 years — meaning the consular officials can ask for a would-be visitor’s Facebook profile, and a list of everywhere they’ve traveled for more than a decade.
Trump issued a temporary travel ban in March that would have restricted travelers from six countries — Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — on the grounds of national security.
Parts of that executive order were suspended following lawsuits against the government that claimed Trump discriminated against Muslims by singling out those countries, which are all Muslim-majority nations.
The case is now at the U.S. Supreme Court which is deciding whether or not to take the case.
VOA White House correspondent Pete Heinlein contributed to this report.
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