New visa rules will affect expats in US, UK, Canada
The US and the UK have announced new visa rules that will affect many expats living in the US and UK, but they won’t apply to expats already in those countries.
The changes, which go into effect next week, were announced in a joint statement from the US Department of State and the US Consulate General in London, which will affect the UK and Canada.
The move will affect citizens of the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Singapore, Ireland, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as citizens of Iceland, Iceland and the Isle of Man, according to the State Department.
“In addition to other visa adjustments and expulsions, the US Government has extended a temporary temporary suspension of the United States Visa Waiver Program (VWP) to allow us to temporarily evaluate our existing VWP applications,” it reads.
“As part of the temporary suspension, the VWP will remain in effect for a period of 90 days.”
The announcement came after a letter from the White House to the US Congress and the House of Representatives in which the Trump administration sought to reinstate the visa waiver program.
The White House said it would be “inappropriate to extend the program for additional 90 days without providing a timeframe for that extension” and “to seek additional congressional input.”
In the letter, the Trump Administration said that “continuing the VWS program after the suspension will have the potential to impact the economic and job opportunities of American citizens and permanent residents, including those living abroad.”
The move comes on the heels of the administration’s announcement earlier this month that it would lift a temporary ban on travellers from certain countries.
On Sunday, the UK’s Department for Exiting the European Union said it had “finally” removed a ban on people from the United Kingdom who had visited at least four of the European countries listed in the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) list of “high risk.”
The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office said the decision to lift the visa restriction was “part of the UK Government’s ongoing commitment to improving the UK economy, boosting exports and promoting tourism.”
