The United States Department of State has paused immigrant visa issuance for citizens of Bangladesh and several other specified countries.
The US Embassy Dhaka shared the information on Monday in a Facebook post.
Under the new directive, immigrant visas -- those that allow foreign nationals to obtain permanent residency in the United States -- will not be issued to applicants from a list of about 75 countries while the US government reviews its policies and procedures for screening such visas. Bangladesh is included on this list.
The pause affects only immigrant visas and does not extend to non-immigrant visas -- such as tourist, business, student, or temporary visitor visas -- which will continue to be processed normally.
The embassy's announcement reiterated that those wishing to travel to the United States for short-term visits, tourism, or other temporary purposes can still apply for visas as before, and these applications remain unaffected by the new suspension.
No timeline has yet been provided for when the immigrant visa suspension might be lifted.
PT/ra
