Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao recently reported that the U.S. government is considering imposing visa restrictions on citizens of 43 countries. The U.S. State Department has drafted a preliminary list of countries whose citizens will be subject to varying degrees of visa restrictions.
The 43 countries on the list are divided into three groups: red, orange and yellow.
- Countries in the red group will see all visas issuance suspended. These countries include Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.
- Countries in orange group will face heavy restricts on visa issuance; only wealthy business tourists will be able enter the United States, and they will be required to undergo an interview when applying for a visa. These countries include Russia, Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Turkmenistan.
- Countries in yellow group will be required to “improve their situation within 60 days” or else face being moved into one of the orange or red groups. There are 22 countries listed in the yellow group, including Angola, Benin, and Cambodia.
U.S. President Trump signed an executive order on the day of his inauguration asking the State Department to list countries for which the U.S. has insufficient visa screening processes, as well as the countries for which it may be necessary to be partially or completely banned visa issuance enabling visits to the U.S.
Source: Lianhe Zaobao, March 15, 2025
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/world/story20250315-6021758