US visas become harder under new rules, Pakistanis will also be affected
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WASHINGTON: (APP) The process to get American visas is set to become even harder and longer as the new US administration has ordered stringent security checks and screening for tourists and people seeking travel for business or meeting their relatives in the Untied States.
US Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson had sent diplomatic cables last week to US embassies around the world, instructing consular offices to increase scrutiny in the first sign of President Trump's intention to introduce `extreme vetting' as part of counter-terrorism efforts.
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All visa decisions are national security decisions', the Secretary of State was quoted as saying in cables by news reports.
President Trump's two executive orders to ban travelers from six Muslim countries are on hold due to some federal court rulings on the basis of being discriminatory. But this has not prevented to the new administration to go with its plan to make it difficult for travelers from countries which are not covered under visa waiver program.
Citing diplomatic cables sent to American embassies across the globe, the intending visa seekers will face intense inquiry about the applicant's travel history, addresses, working history, phone numbers, email addresses and social media handles used by the applicant in the past five years.
New security checks will not be applicable to the citizens of 38 countries which are covered under the visa waiver program.
These include most of Europe and old allies like Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. Their applications will continue to be speedily processed.
People from countries from the Middle East, Asia or Africa will be hard hit from the new hardened security measures as the visa waiver program does not cover these regions.
There have not been any specific orders as to who will be subjected to more intense level of scrutiny as the cables sent the embassies have left it on the officials to decide, though the new measures are being introduced amid concern over threats from terrorism.
Immigration advocates say the new measures will make it even harder for those seeking to come to America, further slowing down the bureaucratic approval process which even now takes years to decide on the immigration cases.
The United States issued more than 10 million visas in 2016.
While some will legitimately face tough scrutiny owing to evidence of a connection to terrorism or crime, immigration advocates fear national or name could become reasons for extra scrutiny.
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This will certainly slow down the screening process and impose a substantial burden on these applicants'. It will make it much harder and create substantial delays', the NYT report said quoting Greg Chen, the director of advocacy for the American Immigration Lawyers Association.