Author: Wol Mapal | Published: 6 hours ago
United States flag – courtesy image
US President Donald Trump’s administration has imposed new entry restrictions on 17 African countries including South Sudan due to security concerns, according to Kenyan news agency.
Trump announced restrictions on foreign nationals from 24 countries including 17 in Africa, citing “demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing” that threaten U.S. national security and public safety.
The Proclamation published on the White House website imposes full suspension on eight countries and partial suspension on 16 others, affecting immigrants and non-immigrants on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas.
B-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa which allows foreign nationals to visit the United States for business purposes, such as to conduct business negotiations, attend conferences, or consult with business associates.
B-2 visa is a non-immigrant visa which allows foreign nationals to visit the United States for tourism or recreational purposes, such as sightseeing, participating in social events, or visiting friends and family.
Meanwhile, the F1 Visa is for academic student, the most popular visa status used by students in USA.
Whereas the J1 visa is for exchange visitors and, M1 visa is for vocational students.
The move is necessary to “prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the United States lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose” and to enforce U.S. immigration laws while advancing national security objectives,” read the fact sheet published on the White House website.
African countries on the list includes South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Angola, Benin.
Others are Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
According to the Overstay Report, South Sudan had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 6.99 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 26.09 percent.
Additionally, South Sudan has historically failed to accept back its removable nationals.
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