US court lifts visa restrictions on citizens of Uzbekistan

US court overturns visa ban on citizens of Uzbekistan.

A US federal court has overturned a decision to suspend the issuance of immigrant visas to citizens of Uzbekistan and 74 other countries. Reuters reported this.

Federal Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan called the State Department's policy "clearly illegal." Her 61-page ruling found that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had exceeded his authority by imposing such a ban.

The US State Department announced on January 14 that it would temporarily suspend the issuance of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries. The ban came into effect on January 21. The imposed ban applied to citizens of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Brazil and dozens of other countries.

The Trump administration has argued that some immigrants from these countries could become dependent on government assistance and social programs once they arrive in the United States.

However, the court ruled that each applicant’s case must be assessed individually. The State Department’s internal guidance required that visas not be granted even to applicants who provided additional documentation proving that they would not be a “financial burden” to the United States. The court found that this approach was unconstitutional.

The ruling would overturn denials based solely on this restriction. This means that thousands of old visa applications can be reviewed.

In June, a federal court blocked Trump’s decision to impose a $100,000 fee on H-1B work visas. The court noted that the president cannot unilaterally set immigration fees, which are within the authority of Congress.