US to seek social media details from certain visa applicants
May 8, 2017 | Filed under: Passport/Visa, United States
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department wants to review social media, email addresses and phone numbers from some foreigners seeking U.S. visas, as part of the Trump administration's enhanced screening of potential immigrants and visitors. The department, in a notice published Thursday in the Federal Register, said it was seeking …
Old tech, passwords galore hurt US tracking of visa holders
May 7, 2017 | Filed under: United States
LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. immigration agents waste their time logging in and out of archaic computer systems while trying to track down foreigners suspected of overstaying their visas only to find out later that many visa holders have left the country, said a government watchdog report released Thursday. Agents …
Visa issues keep thousands of Chinese tourists from Hawaii
April 3, 2017 | Filed under: China, Passport/Visa, Travel, United States
HONOLULU (AP) — Rejected visa applications are keeping thousands of Chinese tourists from visiting Hawaii. More than 2,000 of the 6,000 Nu Skin distributors in China and Hong Kong that were planning to attend a conference in Hawaii were not able to attend because of visa troubles, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser …
Venezuela shuts off CNN in Spanish after criticizing story
February 16, 2017 | Filed under: Venezuela
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's government pulled CNN in Spanish from the nation's airwaves on Wednesday, shutting off the news channel after officials angrily criticized a report alleging the country's diplomats sold passports to members of a Middle East terror group. The National Telecommunications Commission announced it initiated sanctions because …
Fake US embassy in Ghana shut down after 'about a decade'
December 8, 2016 | Filed under: Africa
ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — A fake U.S. embassy that operated for "about a decade" in Ghana's capital issuing counterfeit and fraudulently obtained visas has been shut down, the U.S. State Department announced. The scam was orchestrated by "Ghanaian and Turkish organized crime rings" and a Ghanaian attorney, a statement said. …
DIVIDED AMERICA: The evolving face of US immigration
October 14, 2016 | Filed under: United States
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — When Manasi Gopala immigrated to America, she finally got the chance to row crew. As a child in India, she had dreamed of the sport from watching Olympic telecasts. Now, twice a week, she pulls a pair of oars as her scull glides along tree-lined Lake …
British expatriates fear for their future after UK vote
June 29, 2016 | Filed under: European Union, Great Britain
BENIDORM, Spain (AP) — Tad Dawson's pub in this Spanish vacation town was doing a brisk business in the summer sun. The only dark clouds he saw were coming from the bar's TV, tuned to a British news channel. Inside the Yorkshire Pride were many British tourists watching the screen …
US Embassy suspends visas in Venezuela over staff shortages
May 19, 2016 | Filed under: Passport/Visa, Venezuela
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The U.S. Embassy in Caracas is suspending appointments for Venezuelans seeking first-time tourist and business visas due to staff shortages it blames on President Nicolas Maduro's government. The Embassy says on its website that it will no longer take appointments. But it says it will continue …
Border checkpoint scans eyes, faces of departing foreigners
February 29, 2016 | Filed under: United States
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The federal government is using eye scans and facial recognition technology for the first time to verify the identities of foreigners leaving the United States on foot — a trial move aimed at closing a longstanding security gap, officials announced Thursday. Before now, foreigners who left …
Q&A: Why feds say some IDs not secure enough for air travel
December 30, 2015 | Filed under: United States
CHICAGO (AP) — Sometime in 2016 people from several states could have trouble getting on an airplane or into federal buildings because of a post-Sept. 11 law that tightened requirements for state-issued identification. When that will happen and who will be affected won't be completely clear until the Department of …
House tightens controls on visa-free travel to US
December 9, 2015 | Filed under: Passport/Visa
WASHINGTON (AP) — Driven by the Paris terror attacks, the House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to tighten controls on travel to the U.S. and require visas for anyone who's been in Iraq or Syria in the previous five years. The legislation takes aim at the "visa waiver" program that allows citizens …
AP Interview: Iran preparing for 'tsunami' of tourists
October 26, 2015 | Filed under: Iran, Tourism
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's vice president told The Associated Press on Sunday his country is preparing for a "tsunami" of foreign tourists as Iran and world powers are set to begin implementing a landmark nuclear deal that will lift sanctions in return for curbs on Iran's nuclear program. Masoud …