KATHMANDU: The US Embassy in Kathmandu has stated that it was concerned that a few news stories have published misleading information about U.S. visas.
We’d like to clarify that there has been no change to our policy, or to our decades-old law regarding members of communist parties or totalitarian regimes traveling or immigrating to the United States, the Embassy stated on Tuesday.
Similarly, Nepal Communist Party members are not automatically barred from immigrating to the U.S. Each visa case is adjudicated on an individual basis.
News in some media had claimed that changes in US visa policy will bar Communist party leaders and cadres from receiving US Green Card or Citizenship.
U.S. Citizens and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently issued administrative guidance – essentially an instruction manual – to USCIS officers for the immigration applications of people already within the US. News about this has caused confusion, the Embassy further said.
In 1952, the U.S. Congress passed the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which barred people from immigrating to the United States on the basis of membership in, or affiliation w/ a Communist or any other totalitarian party, it stated.
The law provides for many exceptions & waivers, allowing party members to immigrate to the U.S. if otherwise qualified. The INA doesn’t affect people wanting to visit the U.S. temporarily (w/ a non-immigrant visa).
“We welcome those w/diverse backgrounds & beliefs to apply for visas. We also respect Nepal’s multiparty democracy & will continue to work w/ the country’s elected government & people to advance bilateral ties and strengthen democracy as we’ve been doing for the past 73 years,” the Embassy stated.
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