US sets criteria for visa applicants from six Muslim nations
Travel ban
Family 'does not include grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers-laws and sisters-in-law, fianc?s' and others
Visa applicants from six Muslim-majority countries must have a close family relationship to a USindividual or formal ties to a USentity to be admitted to the United States under guidance distributed by the USState Department on Wednesday.
The guidance defined a close familial relationship as being a parent, spouse, child, adult son or daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law or sibling, including step siblings and other step family relations, according to a copy of a cable distributed to all USdiplomatic posts and seen by Reuters.
The cable, first reported by the Associated Press, said close family "does not include grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers-laws and sisters-in-law, fiancés, and any other 'extended' family members."
It also specified that any relationship with a USentity "must be formal, documented, and formed in the ordinary course, rather than for the purpose of evading the EO" a reference to USPresident Donald Trump's March 6 executive order temporarily barring most UStravel by citizens of six nations.
The cable provides advice to USconsular officers on how to interpret Monday's Supreme Court ruling that allowed parts of the executive order, which had been blocked by the courts, to be implemented while the highest UScourt considers the matter.
At various times, Trump's administration has denied theexecutive order was a "travel ban", with White House spokesman Sean Spicer saying in late January:"It's not a Muslim ban. It's not a travel ban. It's a vetting system to keep America safe."
But the president himself has also specifically framed it as a"travel ban".
(With inputs from agencies)