India, Aug. 27 -- US President Donald Trump's administration has paused immigrant visa appointments worldwide, US State Department officials confirmed this week, in a move that shows how a crackdown once framed around illegal immigration has increasingly reached applicants seeking to enter the United States through legal channels.

The US State Department has directed embassies and consulates around the world to postpone immigrant visa interviews for applicants who had already reached the interview stage, telling them their appointments were being rescheduled and that they would receive notice of a new date at a later, unspecified time.

The pause, first reported by the Financial Times, affects people applying to move to the US permanentl...