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The US State Department issued guidance to its embassies and consulates worldwide on how to handle the Trump administration’s new travel ban.

The diplomatic cable, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and seen by CNN, provides the first specific instructions for how consular officials should process visas of applicants from the barred countries.

Some aspects — like what qualifies as a “national interest exception” — are not included, but the cable says details on that will be “forthcoming.”

Prior to the to the proclamation going into effect on June 9 at 12:01 a.m. ET, diplomatic posts should continue to schedule visa applicants “from affected countries” and they “should continue normal visa processing, including approving eligible applicants, printing visas, and returning passports with issued visas,” the cable says.

Even after the proclamation goes into effect, US diplomatic posts are instructed to continue to schedule appointments for applicants from affected countries. However, for applicants from the 19 barred countries, their visas will be refused unless they meet one of the exception criteria, it says.

And if an applicant from a restricted country had been granted a visa before June 9 and has not yet received the visa, that visa will be canceled under the presidential proclamation unless the applicant can prove an exception.

Exceptions for those from fully restricted countries include applicants who are dual nationals applying with a non-impacted country’s passport, diplomats and government officials, employees of international organizations and NATO, and “national interest exceptions and certain athletes and athletic team members.”

They also include “immediate family immigrant visas…with clear and convincing evidence of identity and family relationship” such as DNA or medical records.

They make exceptions for adoptions, Afghan Special Immigrant Visas, Special Immigrant Visas for US government employees, “ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran,” and “approved national interest exceptions,” the cable states.



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