By John Lee. A British academic has said that visiting Iraq has caused him to have problems entering the United States. Writing in Times Higher Education, Nick Petford, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Northampton, said: "My forays [into Iraq] have not been without consequence. In March this year I fell foul of Donald Trump’s travel restrictions […]
By John Lee. United States President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order banning people from six mainly Muslim countries: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Unlike the order signed in January, which was blocked by the courts, this new order removes Iraq from the list, but imposes additional vetting for Iraqis. Importantly, […]
By John Lee. CNN's Spanish-language channel has alleged that Venezuelan passports and visas were sold to people in Iraq, including some with terrorism links. It also claimed that Venezuelan Vice-President Tareck El Aissami (pictured) was directly linked to the granting of 173 passports, including to members of the Lebanese group Hezbollah. In an unrelated story, […]
By John Lee. A US Federal Court has has issued a temporary nationwide block on President Donald Trump's ban on travellers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Judge James L Robart (pictured) ruled that the ban was unconstitutional, and it has been lifted with immediate effect. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer described […]
By John Lee. The United States has amended its visa ban to allow emigration by the families of Iraqi interpreters who served the United States government and military forces deployed in their country According to the New York Times the change, recommended by the Pentagon, eased some of the anger generated in Iraq by President […]
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has said that Baghdad would not take ‘reciprocal measures’ against the recent US banning order against Iraqi citizens, issued by President Donald Trump. Answering a question, Abadi stated that he did not want to harm US citizens in the country by applying reciprocal measures, for the time being. Abadi however […]
By John Lee. According to various media reports, Iraqi lawmakers have said that they might ban US nationals from entering the country in retaliation against Donald Trump's executive order to deny Iraqis entry to the United States. The parliament’s foreign affairs committee called on the government to act after Trump controversially ordered that citizens from […]
By John Lee. US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order that will deny refugees and immigrants from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia entry to the United States. The action, which has immediated effect, places a 90-day block on entry to the US for citizens from those countries. It also stops indefinitely […]
By John Lee. ABC News cites sources as saying that US President Donald Trump could suspend some immigration from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, either temporarily or "indefinitely". They also say that the move by Trump, who is expected to visit the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday, could also impact refugees […]
By John Lee. Iraq has been rated third-last in a ranking of the 'passport power' of 199 countries around the world. The list, compiled by passportindex.org, ranked passports by their ability to allow persons to travel visa-free to other destinations. Top of the list was Germany, followed by Sweden and Singapore, while Iraq comes in […]
Iran’s Ambassador to Iraq Hassan Danaeifar said Tehran and Baghdad have been considering a step to lift visa requirements for travelers from the two neighboring countries. Speaking to Tasnim News Agency, Danaeifar highlighted the latest measures to abolish the visa regime between Iran and Iraq, saying that it would lead to more travels between the […]
The Chairman of Iraq’s National Investment Commission (NIC), Dr Sami Al Araji, has called for the UK Government to relax its rules on visas for visiting Iraqi business people, and to alter its travel advice for Iraq on the basis that much of the country is safe for business people to travel to. Addressing a […]
