The United States of America has set criteria for visa applicants from six major Muslim countries. This says the people applying for Visa should have a close relationship with an US individual. They can also have formal ties to a US Citizen so as to be admitted into the country.
These criteria were released on Wednesday by the US State Department. This guidance also defined the relations for admission, which includes a parent, spouse, child, adult son or daughter, son in law, daughter in law or sibling, including step siblings and other step family relations to a US citizen.
According to the copy of a cable that was distributed to all US diplomatic posts, news agencies said close family “does not include grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers in law and sisters in law, fiances, and any other ‘extended’ family members.”
The cable also mentioned any relationship with a US entity “must be formal, documented and formed in the ordinary course, rather than for the purpose of evading the EO (Executive Order.)” This was a reference to US President Donald Trump’s March 6 executive order which temporarily barred most US travel by citizens of six Muslim nations.
The cable also provides advice to US consular officers regarding how to interpret Monday’s Supreme Court ruling. The ruling allowed parts of the executive order which were blocked by the courts to be implemented.
