Amid an expanding travel ban, the Trump administration has a tiny speck of good news for seekers of nonimmigrant visas to the United States from Turkmenistan.

On December 16, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a proclamation further restricting the entry of certain foreign nations to the United States. Building on the travel ban unveiled in a June, the administration continued full restrictions on the issuance of visas to citizens of 12 countries it deems “high-risk,” and expanded that roster to include Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria, and holders of Palestinian-Authority-issued travel documents. Laos and Sierra Leone, which were subject to partial restrictions in the June ban, were also struck with full bans. Four more countries initial hit with partial bans remain subject to them, and 15 additional countries – mostly in Africa and the Caribbean – were added to the partial ban list.

But Turkmenistan, the proclamation stated, “has engaged productively with the United States and demonstrated significant progress since the previous Proclamation.” Therefore, “this new........

© The Diplomat