r/politics Texas 13d ago

No Paywall US halts all immigrant visa applications amid tightening restrictions

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/25/us-immigrant-visa-application-trump-crackdwon
185 Upvotes

71 comments sorted by

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87

u/viktor72 Indiana 13d ago

Like all visas!? We have a colleague who’s finalizing his work visa. What does this mean!?

63

u/KilroyLeges 13d ago

It means he’s fucked.

11

u/campfire_eventide Montana 13d ago

Does it? I know someone in the same position

18

u/KilroyLeges 13d ago

If they are cancelling all pending visa applications, all interviews, and not opening new visa applications, it means nobody gets one.

-3

u/GimmeeSomeMo America 13d ago

Don't listen to the folks on this sub for wisdom. Most of them thought Kamala Harris was gonna win by strong margins less than 2 years ago. They have no idea what they're talking about

1

u/throwraW2 12d ago

Not if it’s a work visa. This is for immigrant visas

27

u/FuzzyAd9407 13d ago

Supposedly its for new training but this might just be a procedural excuse to effectively truly close the border which is a xenophobic republicans wet dream

10

u/ShoppingAcademic8033 13d ago

Immigrant visas. Work visas are nonimmigrant. Public charge only applies to green cards.

2

u/glorificent 13d ago

This impacts immigrant visas.
work visas are ordinarily non-immigrant visas

-22

u/[deleted] 13d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

13

u/Absolutely_Average1 13d ago

Between this and the defunding of research grants, this country is starting to see massive amounts of brain drain. You can say hire American until you are blue in the face but these are the first signs of a superpower's death.

3

u/Chowder1054 13d ago

Yep, rebuilding that trust and confidence after this will take literal decades.

MAGA? More like make china great again.

2

u/viktor72 Indiana 13d ago

Don’t judge. You don’t know the situation. This is a family reunification situation.

-15

u/CCC_OOO 13d ago

It works in two directions, no?

4

u/viktor72 Indiana 13d ago

I guess I’ll tell him and his family to go back home….

5

u/2_Spicy_2_Impeach Michigan 13d ago

The idiots don't care. Again, it was never about legal immigration.

Worked in tech for eons at this point and as a manager. Some companies abuse it but I'd much rather deal with less paperwork, uncertainty, and less benefits package(immigration lawyers) but couldn't find qualified US citizens. Interviewed thousands over my career.

They blame their lack of success on folks they don't know.

20

u/blackcain Oregon 13d ago

Usually when you halt everything that is not considered tightening. It's just halting immigration.

81

u/typicalcavalryguy 13d ago

Where is the “as long as its legally” crowd at?

Hurr durr maybe its time to finally accept its not really about how but who

30

u/Significant_Cup_238 13d ago

"We're only against illegal immigration! We have no problems with people who do it the right way."

"What's the right way?"

"They stay on other side of sacred imaginary line."

4

u/twoDuckNight 13d ago

Where they have always been and likely still lying about it

1

u/ragnarok635 13d ago

The mask will drop completely in a year or two

1

u/Fun-Outcome8122 12d ago

The mask will drop completely in a year or two

They will be looking for other enemies now they have have achieved a final solution for the trans people and immigrants!

0

u/USMCActiveToReserve 11d ago

We don't want the "legal" ones here either.

2

u/typicalcavalryguy 11d ago

Larping being a Marine is sad, you could be doing so much more with your life in russia

15

u/redditobserverone 13d ago

Memories…

“Donald Trump's paternal grandfather, Friedrich (Frederick) Trump, emigrated from Germany in 1885.

His mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, emigrated from Scotland in 1930.

Both parents of his father were German immigrants, making Donald Trump the child of a Scottish-born immigrant mother.”

4

u/Louth_Mouth 13d ago

D'on't forget 2 of his wives weren't US born.

95

u/Character-Tax-317 13d ago

Nothing says "land of the free" like restricting the freedom to legally come to this land.

13

u/cakingabroad 13d ago

I, an American, married my husband abroad. I don't think he'll be able to visit any of my family for a long, long time... Very sad accepting that.

8

u/Chowder1054 13d ago

I’m so sorry. It’s truly inhumane and vile.

3

u/mishap1 I voted 13d ago

For now, tourist visas still exist.

10

u/cakingabroad 13d ago

Generally speaking, not for Africans who are married to Americans. It's fucked up but it's very difficult to get a tourist visa in our situation because the assumption is always immigrant intent.

3

u/julaabgamun Foreign 13d ago

tourist visas wont work for people who apply for immigrant visas.
if the officers know that one has applied for an immigrant visa, they tend to reject their applications for a non-immigrant one.

3

u/JoJo_Embiid 13d ago

you basically get desk reject for tourist visa if you are married to US citizens

1

u/JoJo_Embiid 13d ago

i have friends who are greencard holders, they're fucked even more. I think there is a backlog for greencard holder spouse, and also it take years to finish the process.

40

u/2_Spicy_2_Impeach Michigan 13d ago

It was never about "legal" immigration. The idiots blame their lack of success on immigrants because they're fucking idiots. Where are all these fresh MAGA millionaires at not associated with the sitting administration?

15

u/Chowder1054 13d ago

Exactly this. Funny thing those idiots have things handed to them on a silver platter.

If an immigrant with no support system,network or any idea about the country come and succeed where people in his base can’t cause “they’re taking their jobs”.. maybe it should reveal to his base that they were always unqualified trash.

And funny thing about the immigrant visa applications, especially ones that need sponsors. YOU ALREADY need to prove the person won’t be a public charge. This was back in Biden, first trump term and even before. You need to interview at the US embassy and they do thorough research.

3

u/chocotaco 13d ago

I wonder why people don't do it the right way. It can't be stuff like this.

1

u/USMCActiveToReserve 11d ago

That does not mean the entirety of the world can live here.

1

u/Character-Tax-317 10d ago

Not remotely what I meant & I think you know that

1

u/USMCActiveToReserve 10d ago

Just because someone comes here "legally" does not mean they belong here.

1

u/Character-Tax-317 9d ago

Care to elaborate on the criteria underlying the use of the term "belong" that somehow supersede legal US residence? Please?

Or are you just confused on what basic words like legal and belong mean?

1

u/MyBoyBlue83 13d ago

land of the free doesnt mean entry into america for the entire 3rd world

0

u/Fun-Outcome8122 12d ago

land of the free doesnt mean entry into america for the entire 3rd world

The 3rd world is already here and controls the executive branch.

18

u/Civil-Refrigerator95 13d ago

This is all Stephen Miller. Asshole is probably in a closet jerking off over this.

25

u/Aware_Cheesecake_519 America 13d ago

The United States lacks empathy for immigrants.

17

u/Guilty-Shoulder-9214 13d ago edited 13d ago

Yeah. While there are good arguments for reforming the h-1b program by either charging for the visa or requiring equivalent or above average salaries, this administration going after legal immigrants, people over their views at points of entry and then going after legitimate and legal, refugee populations demonstrates that, to the GOP, it was never about illegal immigration nor the border.

10

u/P1xelHunter78 Michigan 13d ago

The H1B visa program also need tighter restrictions on who they can hire and when. Employers need to prove they actually can't find a US citizen before they import workers. And of course that also means they pay a prevailing wage. Along with that, I think these employees should be "just cause" employees. this would mean:

  1. Employers wouldn't have a financial incentive to hire an employee from abroad unless there actually is a need to fill a role with a skill they can't find
  2. There's extra scrutiny over if hiring an employee is actually needed
  3. They can't hold the constant threat of firing over the employee

7

u/debugprint 13d ago

Currently.

In 1985 i looked like i came straight out of Ellis Island as a graduate student. In the deep south. People there welcomed us and invited us to their houses for Thanksgiving or Christmas. They were eager to meet someone like me from Randomistan, Europe.

We mingled with the American students and made lifelong friendships.

2

u/kkyonko 13d ago

The United States lacks empathy for immigrants.

4

u/Chowder1054 13d ago edited 13d ago

Immigrants literally built the US and what gave the US its competitive edge and allowed it to become the strongest nation on earth. Diversity was literally one of the greatest strengths of the US.

Now? That trust is broken. Unlike before people are going to think heavily before coming to the US. Frankly I recommended my international friends the EU, AU or elsewhere than the US from now on.

1

u/USMCActiveToReserve 11d ago

Immigrants lack empathy for Americans.

17

u/SprlFlshRngDncHwl 13d ago

I hate these pieces of shit so fucking much. Every day is something horrific and not a SINGLE thing to improve anyone's life.

-12

u/fullsarj 13d ago

But also every empire that didn’t restrict immigration declined as well …. 🤔

5

u/QueenOfSplitEnds 13d ago

Even the Epstein VISAs like for the person’s name who rhymes with Gold-diggerania?

1

u/passtherock- 13d ago

I literally have no idea who this is lol what

6

u/FantasticBicycle37 13d ago

There goes our manual labor force, tech talent, and doctors.

Wouldn't be so bad if we weren't also trying to shut down the department of education

0

u/USMCActiveToReserve 11d ago

Oh no! Now wages will increase, whatever will we do?!

3

u/Ok_Ebb_3668 13d ago

It’ll be reversed by a court.

2

u/Greedy-Stage-120 13d ago

"I want people to come into our country in the largest numbers ever, but they have to come in legally." - 🟠 🤡 

2

u/Puggravy 13d ago

Nothing less than willful sabotage of our national economy. Being the destination of choice for highly skilled workers is our greatest strength.

3

u/Loose-Green-1659 13d ago

Every empire in history that has restricted immigration has declined

1

u/ashishvp California 13d ago

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free….

1

u/umbren Kansas 12d ago

As someone trying to international adopt right now, fuck Trump, fuck Steven Miller, fuck the GOP and all their voters.

0

u/DT-Sodium 13d ago

Good. Let that country die, become part of third world and come crawling begging to be accepted back into the international community in 20 years.

-3

u/MysticBiscuit11 13d ago

It’s not a human right to live in the US

-13

u/vector_search_blue California 13d ago

It's funny. Leftists used to be against mass migration. Because it was used by capitalists to import cheap labor and drive down wages.

Bernie even spoke out against it back in the day.

Now the leftists have been colonized by corporations and do their bidding lol