Trump administration halts immigration applications for migrants from 19 nations

The Trump administration in June banned travel to the US by citizens of 12 countries and restricted access for those from seven others, citing national security concerns (Alamy/PA)

The Trump administration is pausing all immigration applications such as requests for green cards for people from 19 countries banned from travel earlier this year, as part of sweeping immigration changes in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard troops.

The changes were outlined in a policy memo posted on Tuesday on the website of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency tasked with processing and approving all requests for immigration benefits.