Washington:
The US authorities is quietly scanning by 1000’s of momentary visas, checking whether or not foreigners lied about their actual plans once they entered the nation. Reviews place the variety of such visas — each tourism and enterprise — near 200,000, although the US State Division hasn’t confirmed it.
Requested by NDTV whether or not Indian nationals might be swept up within the overview, State Division spokesperson Tommy Pigott did not dodge the purpose. A US visa, he stated, is “not a proper, however a privilege.”
In keeping with the official, the Donald Trump administration is cracking down on “fraud and abuse” within the US visa system.
The State Division, together with the Division of Homeland Safety, is on the lookout for instances the place somebody entered on a brief visa and later tried to remain — both by making use of for asylum or by another path to everlasting standing. Your entire overview activates one query: did the particular person misrepresent their intentions from the beginning?
Pigott identified {that a} momentary visa is granted on the clear expectation that the visa holder will return residence.
We’re cracking down on fraud and abuse in our visas system.
A brief visa is granted on the clear expectation that the visa holder will return residence. If somebody lies to a consular officer about their true intent, that’s fraud and grounds for revocation. pic.twitter.com/8r5BSTyFHy
— Tommy Pigott (@statedeptspox) August 26, 2026
“If a person lies to a consular officer about their true intentions, that may represent fraud and will outcome within the revocation of their visa,” Pigott instructed NDTV.
Nevertheless, making use of for asylum after arriving on a brief visa is not robotically handled as fraud. What investigators are on the lookout for is timing and honesty. They’re checking whether or not the particular person had already determined to remain completely earlier than the visa interview after which hid that from the officer reviewing their utility.
The State Division didn’t provide any particular numbers of Indians on the watch listing or singled out Indian candidates for further scrutiny going ahead. Nevertheless it additionally hasn’t dominated something out, both.
An official stated that the overview continues to be unfolding and the figures “might change” because it progresses, with the method anticipated to maneuver in phases reasonably than abruptly.
Since Trump returned to the White Home for a second time period, his administration has been steadily tightening immigration enforcement, and this newest transfer appears to be an extension of that, with a renewed deal with whether or not individuals have been truthful about their intentions the second they utilized.
The takeaway for anybody at present holding a US visa is simple: a visa does not assure an indefinite keep. If the State Division decides somebody misrepresented their intentions, their visa might be revoked, regardless of how lengthy they’ve already been within the nation.
