Six Countries Added to Visa Restrictions List
2020-02-08
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1The United States will begin restricting visas to citizens from six other countries on February 21, although critics question the move.
2The six countries are Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania.
3The administration of President Donald Trump is adding them to existing travel restrictions for national security reasons.
4The U.S. government already has travel restrictions on some citizens from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Venezuela and North Korea.
5The Trump administration announced the expanded travel restrictions last week. In a statement, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf spoke about the bans.
6He said: "It is logical and essential to thoroughly screen and vet everyone seeking to travel or immigrate to the United States."
7Wolf noted that some of the listed countries do not provide the necessary information about their travelers.
8As a result, he added, they represent a national security or public safety risk.
9People from the six countries added to the list will no longer be able to travel to the United States using immigrant visas.
10They may, however, ask for special permission, known as a waiver.
11Immigrant visas are given to people who want to live permanently in the United States.
12Such persons usually must be guaranteed financial support from family members who are U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents.
13The ban does not affect people who have already received a visa and are planning to enter the United States.
14Visas will continue to be given to tourists, business travelers and those seeking medical treatment.
15Toyin Falola is from Nigeria and a history professor at the University of Texas at Austin.
16Falola said, "For an administration concerned about security threats, favoring temporary visitors over more permanent ones...makes little sense."
17Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday.
18The Nigerian diplomat said he had been "blindsided" by the travel restrictions.
19But he promised to increase security cooperation with the U.S. government.
20Nigeria has Africa's largest economy and the largest population of any country on the continent.
21Nigeria also has a large diaspora community living in the United States.
22Onyeama admitted that his country is dealing with security threats, which include the militant group Boko Haram.
23Violence by its fighters have displaced millions of Nigerians.
24Most citizens of Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar also are barred from getting immigrant visas.
25The State Department says a U.S. citizen can request an immigrant visa for that person's husband or wife, a son, daughter, parent, brother or sister.
26A permanent resident holds what is commonly called a "green card," which enables the person to legally live in the country.
27A green card holder can request an immigrant visa for a husband or wife, and an unmarried son or daughter.
28Information from the Migration Policy Institute shows that about two-thirds of "green cards" are the result of family sponsorship.
29Dany Bahar follows economic and development programs at the Brookings Institution, a research group based in Washington D.C.
30He says that if the new visa restrictions become normal, they could cause problems for Africa.
31"If you want people to be better off, let them move to places where they can be more productive," he said.
32Restricting travel "will also keep talented people from coming to the U.S.," Bahar added.
33I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1The United States will begin restricting visas to citizens from six other countries on February 21, although critics question the move. 2The six countries are Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania. 3The administration of President Donald Trump is adding them to existing travel restrictions for national security reasons. 4The U.S. government already has travel restrictions on some citizens from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Venezuela and North Korea. 5The Trump administration announced the expanded travel restrictions last week. In a statement, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf spoke about the bans. He said: "It is logical and essential to thoroughly screen and vet everyone seeking to travel or immigrate to the United States." 6Wolf noted that some of the listed countries do not provide the necessary information about their travelers. As a result, he added, they represent a national security or public safety risk. 7People from the six countries added to the list will no longer be able to travel to the United States using immigrant visas. They may, however, ask for special permission, known as a waiver. 8Immigrant visas are given to people who want to live permanently in the United States. Such persons usually must be guaranteed financial support from family members who are U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents. 9The ban does not affect people who have already received a visa and are planning to enter the United States. Visas will continue to be given to tourists, business travelers and those seeking medical treatment. 10Critics unhappy 11Toyin Falola is from Nigeria and a history professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Falola said, "For an administration concerned about security threats, favoring temporary visitors over more permanent ones...makes little sense." 12Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday. The Nigerian diplomat said he had been "blindsided" by the travel restrictions. But he promised to increase security cooperation with the U.S. government. 13Nigeria has Africa's largest economy and the largest population of any country on the continent. Nigeria also has a large diaspora community living in the United States. 14Onyeama admitted that his country is dealing with security threats, which include the militant group Boko Haram. Violence by its fighters have displaced millions of Nigerians. 15Most citizens of Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar also are barred from getting immigrant visas. 16The State Department says a U.S. citizen can request an immigrant visa for that person's husband or wife, a son, daughter, parent, brother or sister. A permanent resident holds what is commonly called a "green card," which enables the person to legally live in the country. A green card holder can request an immigrant visa for a husband or wife, and an unmarried son or daughter. 17Information from the Migration Policy Institute shows that about two-thirds of "green cards" are the result of family sponsorship. 18Dany Bahar follows economic and development programs at the Brookings Institution, a research group based in Washington D.C. He says that if the new visa restrictions become normal, they could cause problems for Africa. 19"If you want people to be better off, let them move to places where they can be more productive," he said. Restricting travel "will also keep talented people from coming to the U.S.," Bahar added. 20I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 21Patsy Widakuswara reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted her story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 22________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24logical -adj. something that is sensible or reasonable 25essential -adj. very important, very necessary 26screen -v. to examine something or someone to decide if it is suitable 27vet -v. to investigate someone to find out if they can be approved for a job 28sponsor v. to take responsibility for someone 29resident -n. a person who lives in a certain place 30diaspora -n. a group of people who live outside of the area where they had lived for a long time 31talented -adj. a person with special abilities