The US State Department has dismissed reports suggesting that the government is preparing a list to impose new visa restrictions on several countries.
Reaffirming its commitment to resettling Afghans who assisted the US mission in Afghanistan, the department clarified that no such list exists.
At a recent news briefing, State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce acknowledged that the Trump administration was conducting a broader security review of visa policies, following an executive order issued on January 20.
However, Bruce refuted claims that Afghanistan was on a list of nations facing a full suspension of visa issuance.
“There is no list. What people are looking at over these last several days is not a list that exists here that is being acted on,” she stated.
She further explained that the review is part of an ongoing process to evaluate visa policies and improve US security.
The spokesperson’s response follows the emergence of a draft list that reportedly includes 41 countries, such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran, categorised into three groups, each subject to different levels of travel restrictions.
The memo, which was seen by Reuters identifies 41 countries, proposes a full visa suspension for a first group of nations, including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Cuba, and North Korea.
In the second group, five countries would face partial suspensions that would impact tourist and student visas as well as other immigrant visas, with some exceptions.
In the third group, a total of 26 countries that includes Belarus, Pakistan and Turkmenistan among others would be considered for a partial suspension of US visa issuance if their governments “do not make efforts to address deficiencies within 60 days”, the memo said.
