US implements new visa rules

The Obama administration has tightened travel terms regarding Iran, Iraq, Syria and Sudan, under rules that will also make travel to the US harder for some Europeans. The rules, which took effect on Thursday, create new visa requirements for dual nationals and anyone who has travelled to those countries in the last five years. Many Europeans enjoy visa-free travel to the US. Should they have dual citizenship or have travelled to Iran, Iraq, Syria or Sudan, they will require new permits. The new rules, phased in under an anti-terrorism law passed in December, are designed to prevent people radicalized abroad from entering the US.
Iranian Americans have protested against the law, noting that it may require many of them to obtain visas because of Iran’s rules on citizenship and reciprocity provisions in the law. The changes to the US visa waiver programme will require nationals of the 38 visa waiver countries to get a visa to travel to the United States if they have been to Iran, Iraq, Sudan or Syria in the last five years or if they are dual-citizens of those countries. An estimated 20 million people, or about 40 per cent of all overseas visitors, use the programme annually to enter the United States without a visa for business or pleasure for up to 90 days.
The new rules do not apply to diplomats or members of the military, and US officials can offer waivers to some travellers who visited Iraq, Iran, Syria or Sudan because they work for aid groups, as journalists or have other legitimate business travel.
The 38 countries in the visa waiver programme are Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Britain, Brunei, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Taiwan.