WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th March, 2020) Foreign citizens who found themselves in the Untied States and are unable to return home amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and facing an expiration of their visas may apply to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for extensions, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) senior official told reporters.
"Let's start with people who face visas coming to an end but inability to get home, you can of course apply to USCIS - for extension those visas and USCIS is taking what I would characterize as a very appropriate view of the circumstances in deciding those," the official said on Monday.
The official explained that in instances when visa extension is being requested by people who are going to a country where flights have stopped, they can expect to be favorably received by USCIS.
"Whereas say two months ago that would not have been a case," the official said.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump announced that the United States is suspending all non-essential travel with Mexico amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier in March, Trump banned entry to the United States for people who have visited the Schengen area countries within the last two weeks. The ban will last 30 days and will cover 26 European countries, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
