US may impose visa bans for 41 countries

The Trump administration is taking a tough stance on travel to the United States. As part of this, it is planning to impose varying degrees of travel restrictions on 41 countries from around the world. The countries may be divided into three categories and subject to varying degrees of restrictions.

Reuters reported this on Saturday (March 15).

The report was made in light of sources familiar with the matter and an internal memorandum seen by Reuters, the news agency said.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, cautioned that the list could change and that it has not yet been approved by the administration, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The memorandum contains a total of 41 countries, divided into three separate groups.

Complete visa suspension:

According to a Reuters report, citizens of 10 countries may be subject to complete travel bans. Some of the countries on the list are plagued by civil war and terrorist activities, some have Islamic militancy, and some are subject to ongoing US economic sanctions. The countries are Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.

Partial visa suspension (tourist, student and some other visas affected):

A limited visa suspension may be issued for some countries. This will include tourist visas, student visas, etc. Such countries include Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar and South Sudan.

Will be subject to sanctions if conditions are not met:

As part of the plan, visa suspension may be temporarily issued to some countries. These countries have some problems in the visa screening process. If the countries take effective measures to eliminate the deficiencies in the visa screening process within 60 days, the sanctions will be reconsidered. These countries include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, East Timor, Turkmenistan and Vanuatu.

Donald Trump has issued some such bans through executive orders since he first took office as president. In 2017, he issued a travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries. The countries are Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. After several amendments, it was approved by the country’s Supreme Court in 2018.

Shortly after taking office, he announced a tough immigration policy, and several executive orders have already been issued in this regard.