United States President, Donald Trump has issued an expanded version of his travel ban on Friday in a move that has been slammed by immigrant advocates and critics.
The US will suspend the issuance of visas that can lead to permanent residency for nationals of Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar and Nigeria, acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf said during a call with reporters.
Nonimmigrant visas were not affected for the additional countries, Wolf said. “Those visas are given to people travelling to the US for a temporary stay. They include visas for tourists, those doing business or people seeking medical treatment. During December, for example, about 650,760 nonimmigrant visas were granted worldwide”.
Sudanese and Tanzanian nationals will no longer be allowed to apply for “diversity visas”, which are available by lottery for applicants from countries with low rates of immigration to the US.
According to Wolf, non-immigrant visas given to people for temporary stays – including visitors, those doing business or people seeking medical treatment – will not be impacted by the new rules.
Of the new nationalities facing visa restrictions, Nigerians accounts for the most immigration to the US.
According to US government statistics, the State Department issued 8,018 immigrant visas to Nigerians in the fiscal year 2018.
While the government has suspended most immigrant and non-immigrant visas to applicants from those countries, exceptions are available for students and those with “significant contacts” in the US.