US pauses immigration applications from 19 countries already subject to travel restrictions

The United States has paused all immigration applications, including the processing of green cards and naturalisation ceremonies, for persons from 19 countries already subject to travel restrictions imposed earlier this year, CBS News reported on Tuesday.

An internal memo from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services has instructed officers to “stop final adjudication on all cases” and to halt citizenship oath ceremonies for legal permanent residents from the 19 countries.

The guidance follows an attack in Washington DC that left one National Guard soldier dead and another critically injured, for which an Afghan citizen living in the US has been arrested.