U.S. adds visa restrictions to Yemen, Somalia, Libya travellers

The United States has added Yemen, Somalia and Libya as “countries of concern” under its visa waiver program, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on Thursday, in a move that will make U.S. visa procedures more stringent for individuals who have visited those nations during the past five years. The new restrictions were imposed […]

The United States has added Yemen, Somalia and Libya as “countries of concern” under its visa waiver program, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on Thursday, in a move that will make U.S. visa procedures more stringent for individuals who have visited those nations during the past five years.
The new restrictions were imposed under a law passed after the November attacks in Paris attributed to Islamic State. Citizens of U.S. allies who previously had been able to travel to the United States without first obtaining a visa now will have to apply to U.S. consulates for such visas if they have traveled to those designated countries in the past five years. The Homeland Security Department said the new requirements will not automatically affect nationals from visa-waiver countries who also are dual nationals of Yemen, Somalia and Libya.
The department said that under the new procedures, the Homeland Security secretary can waive the more stringent visa requirements on a case-by-case basis. Such waivers would primarily be available to journalists or individuals traveling on behalf of international organizations or humanitarian groups, the department said.