The United States begins enforcing new visa rules for some travelers who have visited or who have dual nationality with Mideast states considered hotbeds of terrorism.
The Department of Homeland Security says would-be US visitors who have been to Iran, Iraq, Sudan or Syria since March 2011 will now always have to apply for a visa.
This will be the case even if the traveller is from a country in the US visa waiver program — the 40 nations seen as friends of America whose citizens can visit freely.
In addition, citizens of visa waiver countries who hold dual Iranian, Iraqi, Sudanese or Syrian nationality will have to apply for a full visa before travelling to America.
Homeland Security says dual nationals and travelers who have visited the four targeted countries will still be eligible for visas if they apply for them properly, but they will no longer be able to skip the visa process by registering with the Electronic System for Travel Authorizations (ESTA) like fellow waiver country citizens.
— AFP
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