US visa rule change: State Department add two new questions that can ruin your application

The Trump Administration has updated rules for non-immigrant visa applicants to confirm they do not fear returning to their home country.

Applicants who will answer “yes” or show any fear from their home country will not be granted a visa.

As reported by The Guardian, all applicants will be asked two “new” questions during visa interviews. These newly added questions are:

Have you experienced harm or mistreatment in your country?

Do you fear harm or mistreatment in returning?

Applicants who agree to these or decline to respond will face certain denial of their temporary visa.

The move is followed by “a high number of aliens claiming asylum in the United States,” cites directives.

The new rules are applicable to all non-immigrant visa categories, including tourists, university students, H-1B tech workers, seasonal farmhands, and business executives.

According to the State Department, around 11 million visas are issued in these categories in 2024 alone.

However, legal experts suggested that the rule creates a dangerous trap for genuine asylum seekers.

The new policy also aims to filter out victims of persecution, including domestic abuse survivors, journalists facing death threats, and religious minorities, before they ever reach U.S. soil.

Asylum rights under the laws of the United States and the 1951 Refugee Convention do not depend on an individual’s mode of entry or any declaration made at a visa interview. Yet, the new regulation provides for a screening process that circumvents these safeguards.