New York federal court strikes down suspension of  immigrant visa  processing for citizens of 74 countries, including Armenia

ArmInfo.The U.S. District Court in Manhattan has struck down a Donald Trump  administration policy suspending the issuance of immigrant visas to  applicants from 75 countries, including Armenia.

Judge Jeanette Vargas has ruled that Secretary of State Marco Rubio's  ban exceeded his authority and violated US immigration law. The court  overturned both the policy itself and the visa denials based solely  on it. However, the ruling does not automatically grant visas.  Applications must be re-evaluated by consular officers individually,  taking into account the criteria established by law.

The State Department suspended immigrant visas to citizens of 75  countries effective January 21. Along with Armenia, the list included  Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Iran, Turkey, and other countries. The  agency explained the measure by citing the risk that applicants could  increase the financial burden on the state.