US administration considers visa restrictions on 41 countries

(CLO) The administration of US President Donald Trump is considering a large-scale travel restriction that could affect citizens of 41 countries.

If passed, the policy would suspend or restrict visa issuance for many countries. The memo lists a total of 41 countries divided into three separate groups. The first group of 10 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Cuba and North Korea, among others, would have their visas completely suspended.

The second group, comprising Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar and South Sudan, will be subject to partial restrictions on tourist , student and settlement visas.

A third group, comprising 26 countries such as Belarus, Pakistan and Turkmenistan, will have 60 days to improve their vetting processes or face restrictions.

Illustration: Unsplash

The list is not final and could change before it is approved by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and senior officials, an unnamed official said.

The move is reminiscent of Mr Trump's controversial travel ban in his first term, targeting seven Muslim-majority countries, which was challenged in court but ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

On January 20, Mr. Trump signed an executive order requiring enhanced security checks for foreigners wishing to enter the United States. Accordingly, relevant agencies must compile a list of countries with “extremely inadequate verification information” by March 21 to propose restrictive measures.

During his campaign for a second term, Mr. Trump announced that he would ban entry from Gaza, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and "anywhere else that threatens our security." The US State Department has not yet responded to this information.

Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters, NYT)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/my-xem-xet-han-che-thi-thuc-doi-voi-41-quoc-gia-post338661.html