The Trump administration today announced new travel restrictions on eight countries and revoked a visa waiver program that was scheduled to become effective on 27 June.
The administration imposed restrictions for 10 months against citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen who do not have a “credible claim for a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States. The restrictions will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis at the end of the 10-month period.”
However, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the visa waiver program will be canceled for citizens of all eight countries as of July 27.
“The president and Secretary [of State Mike] Pompeo are determined to protect our homeland against terrorists who seek to do us harm,” a senior administration official said in a conference call. “We constantly evaluate our current vetting system to ensure we are continually adding additional security measures and to protect our homeland from terrorists. The new executive orders seek to enhance security and will be measured to achieve that goal.”
Here’s how the new policy could affect you:
Why it’s important
The press release refers to a “credible claim for a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.”
Will it make travel more difficult?
There is currently no particular data on how the suspension of the visa waiver program for citizens of the eight countries affected will impact tourism.
How long it will last?
It is not known when the restrictions will be lifted or expanded to more countries, and travelers can apply for a visa extension to stay in the United States as long as they meet the requirements of the new restrictions.
For additional information about the policies, see the senior administration official’s comments.
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