Citizens of Pakistan and Afghanistan may face restrictions for traveling to United States after a new travel ban by President Donald Trump.
It will be imposed as soon as this week following a government assessment of national security threats and visa screening procedures.
The sources who asked not to be identified said there could be possibility of other countries on the list but didn’t know which ones.
The step can be traced back to first term of President Trump in which he put a ban on travelers from seven majority Muslim nations.
The policy was later upheld by the Supreme court in 2018.
In 2021, democratic leader and Joe Biden who succeeded Trump as President lift the ban, labelling it “a stain on our national conscience”.
Tens of thousands of Afghan nationals who have been approved for resettlement in the US will be impacted by the new visa ban.
They have been given the status of refugees because they are at risk of Taliban punishment for working for US during a 20-year war in their country.
President Trump through an executive order on January 20, directed the authorities to conduct more rigorous Security checks on foreigners seeking to enter the United States.
The goal was to identify potential national security threats and prevent them from entering the country.
On the orders several cabinet members were assigned to submit a list of countries from which travel should be partly or fully banned.
Afghanistan is likely to be on the list of fully travel ban and Pakistan also expected to be on recommended list.
