United States stopped issuing visa to Eritrean citizens and Guinean officials

In the latest demonstration to crack down on illegal immigrants, the U.S. State Department will from Wednesday stop issuing certain kinds of visas to selected citizens of Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea and Sierra Leone due to the affected nations refusal to take back USA deportees.

The new restrictions are aimed at four Asian and African nations that have refused to take back citizens who've been deported.

USA officials discussed visa restrictions for the first time last month, and the Department of Homeland Security said it recommended that the State Department take action against four out of 12 countries. Consular operations at the U.S. Embassy or consulate will continue. The U.S. Embassy in Eritrea said in a release that they will stop issuing business and tourism visas to Eritrean nationals, with "limited exceptions". Only Foreign Ministry employees at or above the rank of director general, and their families, who apply inside the country will be barred from getting some visas for personal travel, a third cable said.

The new USA restrictions on business and tourism visas will affect foreign ministry and immigration officials in the West African nation.

US officials first discussed the visa restrictions last month. The new rules, which go into effect on Wednesday, do not affect visas that already have been granted.

Earlier this year, Cambodia stopped accepting the deportation of Cambodian nationals who had been convicted of crimes in the United States, saying it wanted to renegotiate a settlement agreement on human rights grounds.

Cambodia and Sierra Leone are expected to be affected by visa restrictions, although there is no statement on the embassy's sites tonight. The Department of State received notification under Section 243 (d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act from the Department of Homeland Security for Eritrea, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Cambodia. Neither department would identify the nations by name. The Secretary must then order consular officers in that country to discontinue issuance of any or all visas.