US Visa Applicants From Muslim Countries Can Reapply After Being Rejected By Donald Trump's Administration

United States Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price (Wikimedia Commons / US Department of State)

JAKARTA - The United States Department of State (US) announced that visa applicants from 13 Muslim and African countries, which were included in the ban issued during the Donald Trump administration, could request a review or submit a new application.

This was stated by a spokesman for the US Department of State Ned Price, Monday, March 8 local time. He said visa applicants who were rejected before January 20, 2020, had to submit a new application and pay a new registration fee.

"Those who were rejected on or after January 20, 2020, can request reconsideration without re-submitting their visa application and do not have to pay additional fees", Price said, cited from Reuters.

Applicants selected in a diversity visa lottery prior to the current fiscal year were prohibited by the United States, get a priority status if they haven't already. The diversity lottery aims to accept immigrants from countries that are not normally granted multiple visas.

For your information, President Joe Biden canceled the so-called Muslim ban by Trump on his first day as president on January 20. He called the ban a stain on the national conscience in his inauguration speech.

Since December 2017, after a revised version of the original entry ban was imposed by the US Supreme Court, some 40.000 people have been barred from entering the United States under the ban, according to State Department data.

During Trump's presidency, several countries were added and others removed from the list. At the end of Trump's Presidency, the list consisted of Myanmar, Eritrea, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Nigeria, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Venezuela and Yemen.