Honour your own visas: India tells United States

The ministry of external affairs (MEA) has said that it has asked US officials to honour the visas issued by their own embassies and consulates. The MEA press comes at a time when US immigration officials have denied entry to a number of students, who had been admitted to two California universities that have been ‘blacklisted’.

The Centre’s statement to this effect was part of an advisory it issued to all Indians travelling to the US. The advisory asked the travelers to carry proper documentation to ensure they are admitted into the US. The row over the denial of entry to the students has also been accompanied by a similar turning away of some business travelers and tourists.

The US however has said its decision to deny entry to even those with valid visas had nothing to do with the the ‘blacklisting’ of the two universities. It said some individuals had been denied entry as they provided ‘inconsistent information’ to immigration officials.

“We have strongly emphasized the need for the US authorities to honour the visas issued by their own Embassy/Consulates,” read the advisory issued by the MEA.

“The US Government has conveyed that the decision to deny entry to these students is not because of the corresponding institutions being ‘black-listed’ but based on the assessment made by the US immigration authorities of individual applicants,” said the MEA.