Visa Sanction Imposed on Employees of Guyana Government
Posted Oct 26, 2001

Effective October 10, 2001 the U.S. Embassy in Georgetown, Guyana will no longer issue nonimmigrant (temporary) visas to employees of the Guyanese government or government-owned companies and their families. The U.S. Department of State (DOS) took this action as a sanction because the government of Guyana has been refusing the return of Guyanese citizens being deported from the U.S. Under section 243(d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the U.S. government can impose visa sanctions against a government that "denies or unreasonably delays accepting" the return of its citizens.

The imposition of the sanctions on persons connected with the government is, according to DOS, an effort to focus on those who can influence the government's policy on this issue. Upon specific authorization from DOS, it may still be possible to grant diplomatic / international organization visas (i.e. A or G visas). If the refusals or delays with respect to the return of Guyanese nationals continue, the sanctions will be broadened to include all citizens and nationals and possibly all residents of Guyana as well.

The sanction relates only to visa issuance within Guyana itself, so it may be possible for affected applicants to apply for U.S. visas in other countries. It is not clear, however, whether the consulate in another country will take the sanctions imposed by the DOS into consideration in denying visas to employees of the Guyanese government or government-owned entities. Of course, all applicants would have to meet the requirements for the particular type of visa in order for the application to be approved.