Swordsmyth
03-15-2019, 09:38 PM
The Trump administration is preparing to further expand rules that would disqualify more visa applicants living abroad and in the U.S. believed by the administration to be using too many public services. The move comes as data appear to show more people are getting their visas denied.
According to an analysis (https://nfap.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/State-Department-Visa-Refusals-In-FY-2018.NFAP-Policy-Brief.March-2019.pdf) of State Department data by the National Foundation for American Policy, a nonprofit and nonpartisan think tank that focuses on immigration (https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/immigration) and other matters, visa denials have shot up 40 percent over the past two fiscal years.
In fiscal year 2018, for example, 13,450 visa applicants were denied because the government determined (https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Statistics/AnnualReports/FY2018AnnualReport/FY18AnnualReport%20%20-%20TableXX.pdf) they might pose too much of a strain on public resources. In the previous year, there were 3,237 such denials. Those figures could include people whose applications spanned multiple years.
Satisfying income requirements and having a sponsor already in the U.S. made it more likely a visa application would get approved under past administrations. But the new policy requires all applicants to clear other hurdles, with department staff evaluating factors including health (https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/obamacare), age and education.
"It's what we've been calling the invisible wall," said Jeffrey Gorsky, a senior immigration attorney (http://www.balglobal.com/bal-people/jeffrey-gorsky/) at Berry Appleman & Leiden and former chief legal adviser for visas at the U.S. State Department, adding, "One way to slow immigration is to just clog up the system."
The use of, or the likelihood an applicant might use, assistance programs in the future, is just one factor in an application. However, the National Foundation for American Policy and other immigration experts said that the president's 2017 executive order on "extreme vetting" -- aimed at changing how immigrants and visitors to the U.S. are processed -- was also directly responsible for increased visa denials.
Responding to questions from ABC News about what prompted the policy change, the State Department cited that 2017 executive order.
"It is true that application of the new guidance, compared to the earlier guidance, could potentially lead to individuals being denied visas on 'public charge' grounds more frequently," federal lawyers for the administration said in a court statement.
More at: https://www.yahoo.com/gma/trump-administration-deny-more-visa-applicants-whove-used-081054872--abc-news-topstories.html?.tsrc=jtc_news_index
According to an analysis (https://nfap.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/State-Department-Visa-Refusals-In-FY-2018.NFAP-Policy-Brief.March-2019.pdf) of State Department data by the National Foundation for American Policy, a nonprofit and nonpartisan think tank that focuses on immigration (https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/immigration) and other matters, visa denials have shot up 40 percent over the past two fiscal years.
In fiscal year 2018, for example, 13,450 visa applicants were denied because the government determined (https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Statistics/AnnualReports/FY2018AnnualReport/FY18AnnualReport%20%20-%20TableXX.pdf) they might pose too much of a strain on public resources. In the previous year, there were 3,237 such denials. Those figures could include people whose applications spanned multiple years.
Satisfying income requirements and having a sponsor already in the U.S. made it more likely a visa application would get approved under past administrations. But the new policy requires all applicants to clear other hurdles, with department staff evaluating factors including health (https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/obamacare), age and education.
"It's what we've been calling the invisible wall," said Jeffrey Gorsky, a senior immigration attorney (http://www.balglobal.com/bal-people/jeffrey-gorsky/) at Berry Appleman & Leiden and former chief legal adviser for visas at the U.S. State Department, adding, "One way to slow immigration is to just clog up the system."
The use of, or the likelihood an applicant might use, assistance programs in the future, is just one factor in an application. However, the National Foundation for American Policy and other immigration experts said that the president's 2017 executive order on "extreme vetting" -- aimed at changing how immigrants and visitors to the U.S. are processed -- was also directly responsible for increased visa denials.
Responding to questions from ABC News about what prompted the policy change, the State Department cited that 2017 executive order.
"It is true that application of the new guidance, compared to the earlier guidance, could potentially lead to individuals being denied visas on 'public charge' grounds more frequently," federal lawyers for the administration said in a court statement.
More at: https://www.yahoo.com/gma/trump-administration-deny-more-visa-applicants-whove-used-081054872--abc-news-topstories.html?.tsrc=jtc_news_index