ArmInfo. The US tightened the procedure for issuing visas for Armenian citizens. According to ArmInfo sources, the majority of citizens applying for a visa to the consular service of the US Embassy in Armenia are denied.
Meanwhile, since morning in the media, information has been spread that the US is canceling entry visas for Armenian citizens. In this regard, the US Embassy in Armenia issued a refutation, which reads in part: "The US Embassy is aware of the rumors spread concerning the agreement on the abolition of visa requirements between Armenia and the United States. These rumors are not true. To travel to the United States, Armenian citizens need to obtain a visa," the message posted on the official page of the diplomatic mission in Facebook says.
To note, US President Donald Trump, after coming to power, toughened the migration policy. The Trump administration tightened the rules for issuing US visas, approving a new, more detailed questionnaire for applicants. Now, employees of US consulates can request from those who wish to receive a visa the numbers of their previous travel passports, the pages in social networks that they used in the last five years, as well as a detailed biography for 15 years. Officials will demand more detailed data if it is necessary to confirm the identity or for additional verification "for national security." The absence of this data in the questionnaire may lead to a refusal to grant a visa.
On January 27, 2017, Trump signed a decree that introduced "extremely stringent measures of verification" of people arriving in the country. He forbade the entry of citizens of Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Syria, Somalia and Sudan into the United States. Trump noted that the decree was not directed against Muslims. On March 6, Trump signed a new immigration decree, according to which Iraq was excluded from the list of seven countries whose citizens are prohibited from entering the US territory. He also limited the number of refugees, the US will accept in 2017 to 50,000.