The Trump administration may put varying travel curbs on people from 41 countries including 10 whose citizens won't get US visa at all. A South Asian country falling in this category is Afghanistan. AP/PTI Photo
US mulls travel ban on citizens of 41 countries, including Pakistan
A United States official said the list was temporary and could change later as it had yet to be approved by secretary of state Marco Rubio
In a sweeping repeat of a decision he took during his first term, US President Donald Trump is considering introducing travel curbs on people of as many as 41 countries including Afghanistan, Bhutan, and Pakistan in South Asia.
Of these, there are 10 countries whose citizens will be barred from getting the American visa. These include Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen.
Two more categories
Media reports say five other countries will be subject to partial visa suspension that would affect tourists, students, and a few other types of visas.
These five are Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, and South Sudan.
The remaining 26 countries will face partial visa suspension unless they address certain “deficiencies” pointed out by Washington. Bhutan and Pakistan fall in this category.
Also Read: Trump’s $5M gold card visa replaces EB-5, impacts Indian immigrants
List could change
A US official told Reuters that the list was temporary and could change later as it had yet to be approved by secretary of state Marco Rubio.
During his first term in office, Trump imposed a travel ban on seven Islamic countries.
Although this was upheld by the Supreme Court, later President Joe Biden revoked the order, calling it a taint on the “political conscience” of the United States.
Executive order
On January 20, Trump signed an executive order calling for stricter security vetting for foreign nationals seeking entry into the US, aiming to identify potential national security threats.
The list of 41 countries now facing visa curbs is as follows:
Also Read: US visa: New rules from January 1 to cut waiting period in India
Full visa suspension (10)
The countries in this category are Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen.
Partial visa suspension (5)
The nations whose citizens face partial visa suspension are Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, and South Sudan.
Partially suspended pending issues (26)
The 26 countries that are facing partial suspension unless they fix issues highlighted by America are Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, East Timor, Turkmenistan, and Vanuatu.
