Denials of U.S. immigrant visas skyrocket after little-heralded rule change

Source: Reuters

WORLD NEWS APRIL 15, 2019 / 6:04 AM / A DAY AGO

Denials of U.S. immigrant visas skyrocket after little-heralded rule change

Yeganeh Torbati, Kristina Cooke
8 MIN READ

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More and more aspiring immigrants – especially Mexicans – are being denied visas based on determinations by the U.S. State Department that they might become “public charges,” dependent on the government for support, according to official data and interviews with attorneys, immigrants and their family members.

Lawyers for some immigrants say consular officers are denying visas even when applicants fulfill legal requirements to prove they will be financially independent.

The refusals, capping an often complex and lengthy application process, can trap people for months or longer outside the United States, separated from American spouses and children, as they renew their efforts to legally return. Some may never be able to go back.

One reason for the rise in refusals are little-known changes last year in the State Department’s foreign affairs manual that gave diplomats wider discretion in deciding visa denials on public-charge grounds.

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“The State Department is trying to bypass public comment and implement changes to public-charge (policy) all on its own,” said Charles Wheeler, an attorney with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network. “These changes are already having a terrible effect on people.”

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-visas-insight/denials-of-u-s-immigrant-visas-skyrocket-after-little-heralded-rule-change-idUSKCN1RR0UX