US sets new visa rules for 6 mainly Muslim nations, refugees

WASHINGTON - 29 June 2017:The US Administration has set new criteria for visa applicants from six mainly Muslim nations and all refugees that require a "close" family or business tie to the United States, ABC News reported.

The move came after the Supreme Court partially restored US President Donald Trump's executive order that was widely criticized as a ban on Muslims.

Visas that have already been approved will not be revoked, but instructions issued by the US State Department said that new applicants from Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Iran and Yemen must prove a relationship with a parent, spouse, child, adult son or daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law or sibling already in the United States to be eligible.

The same requirement, with some exceptions, holds for would-be refugees from all nations who are still awaiting approval for admission to the US.

The court also approved the 120-day ban on refugees entering the United States, allowing the government to bar entry to refugee claimants who do not have any "bona fide relationship" with an American individual or entity.