The Trump administration has paused processing of immigrant visas, which allow recipients to move permanently to the U.S., to train visa officers on new guidance ensuring that applicants have enough financial means to support themselves after they arrive. Immigrant visa applicants with interviews scheduled at U.S. embassies and consulates have been notified by email that their appointments are being postponed. Applicants for immigrant visas most commonly include spouses, parents and siblings of U.S. citizens, as well as some people sponsored by U.S.-based employers, such as foreign nurses to work at underserved hospitals. Foreigners on immigrant visas are granted green cards upon arrival.

The pause shouldn’t affect applicants for nonimmigrant visas, which include visas for tourists, students and foreign workers. It couldn’t be immediately determined how long the processing pause is intended to last. In January, the State Department paused processing of most immigrant visas for 75 countries, mostly in Africa, Asia and Latin America, giving similar reasons as the current pause. Though the department described that pause as temporary, it lasted nearly eight months until a federal judge in New York ruled it unlawful earlier this month, saying it discriminated on the basis of nationality.

Melissa Chavin, a London-based U.S. immigration lawyer, said she expects the pause to be temporary. “I don’t think that they’ll leave this indefinitely, especially for wealthier developed countries,” she said. Applicants from developing countries might find it harder to progress under the new guidance, she added. The move is the latest in the administration’s efforts to restrict immigration to the U.S. by foreigners of limited financial means. Under its “public charge” policy, visa officers have been directed to weigh applicants’ net worth, as well as factors such as their level of education, English proficiency and whether they had a disability.

Earlier this month, the State Department also announced a pilot program to require immigrant visa applicants from the Dominican Republic to post a bond of up to $250,000 to prove they wouldn’t become reliant on public assistance. That bond wouldn’t be paid back until the applicant becomes a U.S. citizen. Officials intend to expand the program to other countries. Earlier this week, the administration said it was planning what could be the largest mass visa revocation in U.S. history, targeting as many as 200,000 foreigners who entered the country on tourist visas before applying for asylum.