New Delhi, Aug. 26 -- The United States has paused all visa applications as well as appointments worldwide as it cracks down on immigration, the Financial Times reported.

This comes at a time when the US is cracking down on immigration in order to limit access to those who think can end up staying in the US and thus relying on state assistance, an official said on Tuesday.

The official revealed that the initiative was launched in the early days of August so that "in-depth training" can be carried out regarding the same.

FT reported that those who had visa appointments scheduled were sent emails that the same had been cancelled and they would receive information about a new date and time later.

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