U.S. travel ban for 13 countries has become stain on national conscience - President Biden

AKIPRESS.COM - Most U.S. visa applicants who were denied because of former President Donald Trump's travel ban on 13 mostly Muslim-majority and African countries can seek new decisions or submit new applications, the State Department said on Monday. President Joe Biden overturned Trump's so-called Muslim ban on January 20, calling it "a stain on our national conscience" in his proclamation.
The Department explored every possible avenue under the law for providing relief to affected individuals. Those whose immigrant visa applications received a final refusal on or after January 20, 2020 due to the proclamations may seek re-adjudication without resubmitting their application forms or paying any additional fees, provided the underlying visa petitions remain valid. Under current regulations, those whose immigrant visa applications were denied prior to January 20, 2020 may also be reconsidered, but these individuals must submit new applications and pay a new application fee.
Since December 2017, after a revised version of the original travel ban was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, some 40,000 people have been barred from entering the United States under the ban, according to State Department data.
During the Trump administration some countries were added and others dropped from the list. At the end of Trump's presidency it comprised Myanmar, Eritrea, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Nigeria, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Venezuela and Yemen.