The Trump administration resumed immigrant visa processing for Hungary and Poland last week while keeping a temporary pause in place elsewhere. The White House directed the priority, and officials did not explain why those two countries were singled out. The broader pause followed a January policy, a court ruling against it, and a later global suspension while new training was rolled out.
This illustration picture shows a U.S. visa in a passport in Mexico City, Aug. 25. AFP-Yonhap
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's administration resumed processing immigrant visa applications from Hungary and Poland last week while maintaining a temporary pause on immigrant visa appointments elsewhere, four people familiar with the matter said.
The directive to prioritize immigrant visas at the U.S. missions in Poland and Hungary came from the White House, two of the sources said. While it was not immediately clear why the U.S. singled out the two countries for special attention, Trump and his senior aides have cultivated far-right allies in both places.
He publicly endorsed former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was defeated at the polls in April, and Poland's nationalist President Karol Nawrocki, whose election has put him at odds with the centrist government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
