US visa, getting it is not going to be any easier |
The process of getting an American visa, strenuous at the best of times, is likely to get more painstaking following fresh directives from the Trump administration to its consular officials worldwide to identify ``populations warranting increased scrutiny`` for enhanced vetting.In a series of four cables sent out by Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, US missions across the world have been instructed to convene working groups of law enforcement and intelligence officials to ``develop a list of criteria`` to identify such groups. One criterion appears to be if the person has traveled to or lived in territory controlled by the Islamic State.Such a loosely defined yardstick could affect tens of thousands of Indians who - for economic and business reasons -- have been to or worked in countries such as Iraq, Libya, and Syria, where the ISIS is deemed to control territory.Such applicants, one of the cables enjoins, need to be subjected to enhanced vetting, including scrutiny of the applicant`s travel history, addresses, and work history for 15 years, and all phone numbers, email addresses and social media handles used in the past five years.
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