Visa Revalidation in the U.S. No Longer Available for Citizens of 7 Countries

In last month’s newsletter, our article discussed the impact of additional security checks on visa revalidation by the State Department in the U.S. At that time the State Department informed the American Immigration Lawyers Association that it was reviewing applications on a case-by-case basis for all applicants, including applicants from countries that were on the list of 26 which requiring additional security checks. However, in a recent development the State Department has now suspended visa revalidation for individuals from the seven countries that have been identified by the U.S. as state sponsors of terrorism. These countries are currently: North Korea, Cuba, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Iraq, and Libya.

According to the State Department, this change is being made to comply with section Section 306 of the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Reform Act of 2002. Section 306 relates directly to the issuance of visas to foreign nationals who are nationals of countries deemed to be state sponsors of terrorism. For individuals from North Korea, Cuba, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Iraq, and Libya, all visa applicants, regardless of gender, must complete DS-157 and DS-156 and appear for an interview with a consular officer. In the cases of A and G visa applicants (except for A-3 and G-5 applicants who must be interviewed), a consular office may waive the interview requirement. Individuals from the seven countries should be aware when making travel plans that visa issuance is taking much longer than in the past. In addition, individuals from these seven countries can probably expect even longer delays for their visa processing and are likely to face even more heightened scrutiny.

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