Pakistan was fortunate enough to not have been included in President Trump’s Muslim travel ban countries list. However, a recent research suggests that there has been an alarming decrease by 40% in the number of non-immigrant visas issued to Pakistanis.
Last year during President Obama’s administration an average of 6,553 visas were granted per month while this year’s stats show a whopping decline to 3,925 visas in March while 3,973 were issued later on in April. Although being left off the Muslim ban countries list, the number of Pakistanis traveling to the US has drastically dropped.
On the other hand, according to an official data released, India is now facing an increase of 28% in the number of visas issued in March and April this year as compared to the monthly average from 2016.
The spokesperson for the US State Department spoke to the News International on this issue and said:
“Visa demand is cyclical, not uniform throughout the year, and affected by various factors at the local and international level. Visa issuance numbers tend to increase during peak travel seasons, such as during the summer and the winter holidays, though there may be different trends in the country, nationality, or visa category level.”
The six countries that were in the Muslim travel ban imposed by Trump have experienced a decrease in non-immigrant visas by 55% this year as compared to last year’s monthly average. The countries included are Syria, Yemen, Libya, Iran, Somalia, and Sudan.
The official number of visa declines have not been released by the State Department so it is difficult to tell whether the number of travelers to the U.S is caused due to the rejection of visas or because people are less hesitant to travel to U.S under the new administration.
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