White House and State Department officials said Thursday that a new executive order revoking an Obama-era guideline on processing times at consulates was made in the interest of "vetting" and national security.
It was not immediately clear how much much longer the process will take for the millions of tourist, student, and business visa seekers who apply to travel to the country every year.
The brief order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump a day earlier deletes part of a 2017 order that sought to expedite the processing time for non-immigrant visas, including those needed by students and tourists.
The original order issued by then-President Barack Obama called on the State Department to "ensure that 80 percent of nonimmigrant visa applicants are interviewed within 3 weeks of receipt of application."
The new order comes amid months of efforts by the Trump administration to wield executive powers over certain immigration policies and implement what officials refer to as "extreme vetting."
A White House spokesman told VOA the amendment "removes an arbitrary requirement."
"The president expects careful, accurate vetting of visa applicants, not a rushed process to accommodate an arbitrary deadline," assistant press secretary Michael Short said Thursday.
The administration recently expanded the visa application process to include social media handles used during the last five years, and additional biographical information for the last 15 years - meaning the consular officials can ask for a would-be visitor's Facebook profile, and a list of everywhere they've traveled for more than a decade.
白宫和国务院官员星期四说，美国总统川普签署了一项新的行政命令，取消了奥巴马时代对美国驻外领馆签证申请受理时间的有关规定，以便尽职审查，保证国家安全。
目前还不清楚，对于每年数以百万计申请旅游，学生和商务签证赴美的人，审批时间会增加多久。
川普总统一天前签署的简短政令删除了2017年奥巴马命令中有关加快受理学生和游客等非移民签证申请的规定。
奥巴马总统当初发布的命令要求国务院“确保80%的非移民签证申请者在申请收到后三周内被安排面谈”。
川普政府上台几个月来，一直努力对某些移民政策动用行政权力，实施官员们所说的 “极度审查”。
一位白宫官员星期四告诉美国之音，川普的命令“取消了一项武断的要求”。
他说：“总统期待认真、准确地审查签证申请人，不能为了遵守一个武断的截止日期而匆忙处理。”
川普行政当局最近扩宽了美国签证申请流程，申请人过去五年使用的社交媒体以及过去15年来的其他个人信息也成为审查对象。这意味着领事官员可以要求签证申请者提供脸书个人资料以及十多年的旅行记录。