US to impose new entry restrictions on citizens from 43 countries, including Russia and Belarus – NYT
Pravda Ukraine
US President Donald Trump’s administration is considering a major tightening of entry rules to the United States for citizens from 43 countries. The list may include Russia and Belarus as well as several countries from the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Source: The New York Times, citing officials familiar with the matter
Details: The sources said the draft list of countries whose citizens could face restrictions had been developed by the US Department of State in cooperation with security services representatives.
The draft list includes three categories of countries: red, orange and yellow.
The “red” list consists of 11 countries, whose citizens will be completely banned from entering the US.
The “orange” list includes 10 countries, where travel will be heavily restricted. Wealthy businesspeople may be granted permission to enter, but immigration and tourist visas for citizens of these countries could be blocked. Citizens from these countries will also be required to undergo a mandatory personal interview for a visa. Belarus and Russia are among the countries on this list.
Citizens from 22 countries on the “yellow” list will be given 60 days to address identified issues, with the threat of being moved to one of the other lists if the requirements are not met.
Such issues could include failure to provide the United States with information about arriving travellers, likely inadequate security measures during passport issuance or the sale of citizenship to individuals from banned countries, which could serve as a “loophole” to bypass restrictions.
Quote: “When he took office on 20 January, Mr. Trump issued an executive order requiring the State Department to identify countries ‘for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries’.”
Details: The New York Times believes that Afghanistan is likely to be included in the new list as it came under the control of the Taliban after the withdrawal of US troops in 2021.
It remains unclear whether these restrictions will apply to current visa and green card holders or whether their status will be revoked.
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