WASHINGTON: As the Trump administration continues to pursue a hawkish policy on immigration, the United States government has decided to deport more than 60 Pakistanis, two weeks after Washington warned Pakistan of visa sanctions.
According to Geo News, these individuals were detained and prosecuted for immigration violations, criminal conduct and other serious charges. The United States has arranged a special chartered plane to send these detainees back to Islamabad on Wednesday (tomorrow).
The decision to send these individuals back comes on the heels of a warning issued last month that the United States may withhold immigrant and non-immigrant visas of Pakistani citizens in accordance with its updated list of rules.
Pakistan is latest country to join the list of ten others that are facing such sanctions under the law according to which the countries refusing to take back deportees and visa over-stayers could be denied America visas.
Under Section 243 (d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the US secretary of state is required to discontinue granting immigrant or non-immigrant visas to a nation after notification from the Homeland Security that the country has denied or is unreasonably delaying accepting a citizen, subject, national or resident of that country.
"Since the law was modified to cover non-immigrant visas in 1996, 318 visa applicants have been affected, and sanctions have been imposed on 10 countries: Guyana (2001); Gambia (2016); Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea, and Sierra Leone (2017); Burma and Laos (2018); and Ghana and Pakistan (2019). During this same time period, tens of millions of aliens have received non-immigrant visas including, collectively, millions of applicants from the 10 countries affected,” the Federal Register's rules and regulations say, according to an early report published by Geo News on April 28.
Geo News says a senior Pakistani official at the embassy confirmed to the News that the discussion to resolve the matter was ongoing, but claimed that the reports of sanctions regime were misleading.
"Visa matters are dealt with on the basis of reciprocity," the official said, adding that both countries remain engaged in talks to refine visa-related policies.
He said the situation was being monitored and had improved as a result of which Pakistan had revised its visa policy and included the United States in its list of countries whose businessmen could avail themselves of long-term visas and even on-arrival visa facilities.
According to Geo News, these individuals were detained and prosecuted for immigration violations, criminal conduct and other serious charges. The United States has arranged a special chartered plane to send these detainees back to Islamabad on Wednesday (tomorrow).
The decision to send these individuals back comes on the heels of a warning issued last month that the United States may withhold immigrant and non-immigrant visas of Pakistani citizens in accordance with its updated list of rules.
Pakistan is latest country to join the list of ten others that are facing such sanctions under the law according to which the countries refusing to take back deportees and visa over-stayers could be denied America visas.
Under Section 243 (d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the US secretary of state is required to discontinue granting immigrant or non-immigrant visas to a nation after notification from the Homeland Security that the country has denied or is unreasonably delaying accepting a citizen, subject, national or resident of that country.
"Since the law was modified to cover non-immigrant visas in 1996, 318 visa applicants have been affected, and sanctions have been imposed on 10 countries: Guyana (2001); Gambia (2016); Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea, and Sierra Leone (2017); Burma and Laos (2018); and Ghana and Pakistan (2019). During this same time period, tens of millions of aliens have received non-immigrant visas including, collectively, millions of applicants from the 10 countries affected,” the Federal Register's rules and regulations say, according to an early report published by Geo News on April 28.
Geo News says a senior Pakistani official at the embassy confirmed to the News that the discussion to resolve the matter was ongoing, but claimed that the reports of sanctions regime were misleading.
"Visa matters are dealt with on the basis of reciprocity," the official said, adding that both countries remain engaged in talks to refine visa-related policies.
He said the situation was being monitored and had improved as a result of which Pakistan had revised its visa policy and included the United States in its list of countries whose businessmen could avail themselves of long-term visas and even on-arrival visa facilities.