US adds visa restrictions to Yemen, Somalia, Libya

WASHINGTON: The United States added Yemen, Somalia and Libya as "countries of concern" under its visa waiver programme, the US Department of Homeland Security said on Thursday.

The move limits travel for individuals who have visited those countries in the past five years.

The three additional nations join Iran, Iraq, Sudan and Syria as countries subject to restrictions for those seeking to travel to the United States. Homeland Security announced the new additions to the list, saying it was evidence President Obama is taking the threat of terrorism seriously.The moves were designed to tighten the rules on who is eligible to travel to the US visa-free. Under the Visa Waiver Programme, citizens of nearly 40 countries are able to enter the U.S. for months-long trips without having to submit biometric information and face an in-person interview.

But after last year’s terror attacks in France, perpetrated in part by those with passports from European countries eligible for the visa waiver, Congress passed legislation requiring those who would normally be visa-free, but who have traveled to terror-connected countries, to have to go through the regular visa process. They are not barred from travel, but must undergo the more rigorous checks.

Obama has carved out an exception for business travelers who visit Iran — a concession to the nuclear deal he reached with the Islamic Republic’s government.

The administration says it’s using a national security loophole Congress wrote into the law.

That special treatment has enraged Republicans on Capitol Hill, who say they specifically considered and rejected a business exemption from the new rules.