US may deny Pakistani officials visa over deportee row

[msb314]

The US has listed Pakistan among countries sanctioned under a State Department rule governing the refusal to process visas. The listing could result in the withholding of visas to Pakistanis, beginning with senior government officials.

The notification in the US Federal Register was published on April 22 and was effective from the same date.

The actual impact of the listing remains to be seen, as the State Department told the media that consular operations in Pakistan remain unchanged. Embassy staff, speaking off the record, also said the same.
In addition, even the notification says that only 318 visas have been rejected on the basis of the law in the last 23 years.

Pakistan joins a list of 10 nations that have been sanctioned under Immigration and Nationality Act Section 243(d) for refusing to take back deportees and other nationals.

The law requires the secretary of state to discontinue granting immigration or non-immigrant visas to a nation upon receiving notice from the Homeland Security secretary that the country has denied or is unreasonably delaying accepting a citizen, subject, national or resident of that country.

“For example, the secretary could order consular officers to discontinue granting B-1 and B-2 visas for personal travel by ministers of a foreign government, with an escalation measure that requires discontinuation of F-category student visas for members of the same foreign officials’ families after 6 months, if the country remains uncooperative on removals, the notification explains.

Interestingly, eight of the ten countries on the list have been added by the Trump administration – Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea, and Sierra Leone in 2017, Burma and Laos in 2018, and Pakistan and Ghana in 2019. Guyana has been on the list since 2001, and Gambia was listed in 2016.

It should also be noted that since 1996, only 318 visa applicants have been affected by this law, according to the federal register notification.

The notification also explains that during this same period, millions of applicants from affected countries have received non-immigrant visas.

It adds that there is no set formula, and the State Department has never issued a blanket refusal for visas from countries on the list.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1960893/1-us-may-deny-pakistanis-officials-visa-deportee-row/

 

[gazza619]

There must be more to the news.

I wonder why Pakistan refused to take back deportees. Were they not Pakistanis?

 

[msb314]

There must be more to the news.

I wonder why Pakistan refused to take back deportees. Were they not Pakistanis?

I am thinking the same thing...

 

[MenInG]

WASHINGTON: The United States and Pakistan are working to resolve an issue that may lead to new visa restrictions on some Pakistani citizens if left unresolved, officials said on Sunday.

Media reports claimed on Saturday that the United States had added Pakistan to a list of countries which face visa restrictions for refusing to take back their citizen deportees and visa overstayers.

The report said that an official notification posted on the US Federal Register this week may lead to refusal of visas to those Pakistani officials who oversee the country’s policy for accepting deportees.

But the US Embassy in Islamabad clarified that “consular operations in Pakistan remain normal and unchanged”.

In a statement posted on social media, the embassy said that “the matter noted in the Federal Register is a bilateral issue of ongoing discussions between the US and Pakistani governments. We are not going to get into the specifics of this issue”.

Pakistani officials contacted by Dawn expressed similar views, adding that Islamabad was “100 percent committed” to taking back those deportees who were Pakistani citizens.

Over the last 18 months, the United States has depor*ted more than 100 Pakistani citizens in two flights. A third flight is scheduled to leave for Pakistan sometime next month with 50 more deportees.

Pakistani officials explained that while the government accepts deportees whose citizenship can be proven, it insists on verifying the claims of those who do not have proper documentation to prove their ties to Pakistan.

Such cases involve Afghan refugees who were living in Pakistan before they came to the United States and Pakistanis who have been living in the Middle East for several generations.

“The US visa restriction, if imposed, may apply to some officials in the interior ministry,” said a Pakistani official when asked for comments. “It may not affect private citizens.”

But as a diplomatic observer in Washington pointed out, “while the restriction may affect only a small number of people, it can do a major reputational damage to the country at a time when it’s trying to project a positive image”.

Since 1996, when the rule to facilitate the deportation of foreign nationals was amended, a total 318 applicants have faced visa restrictions, and sanctions have been imposed on 10 countries. These are Guyana (2001), The Gambia (2016), Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea, and Sierra Leone (2017); Burma and Laos (2018); and Ghana and Pakistan (2019).

https://www.dawn.com/news/1479028/proposed-visa-curbs-to-be-taken-up-with-us