Chandigarh: The North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) Wednesday urged the US administration to ensure a fair and individual review of cases amid reports that it is considering revoking up to 200,000 B1 and B2 visas issued to foreign nationals who later applied for asylum.
NAPA executive director Satnam Singh Chahal made the appeal while releasing copies of letters addressed to US Senators Alex Padilla and Adam B Schiff.
Chahal said reports suggested that the Trump administration, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, was considering revoking B1 and B2 business and tourism visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to people who later sought asylum or are currently seeking asylum in the US.
If carried out on the reported scale, the move could be the largest mass visa revocation in US history, he said.
However, the reported figure of 200,000 should be treated as an upper estimate and not as a final number officially announced by the US State Department, the NAPA executive director said.
NAPA recognises the right of the US government to enforce its immigration and visa laws. However, there must be a clear difference between deliberate visa fraud and people whose circumstances changed after they entered the United States, Chahal said.
He said a person who obtained a visitor visa with a genuine intention to make a temporary visit should not automatically be considered to have committed fraud simply because the person later applied for asylum.
Circumstances can change, and the asylum system is meant to consider claims of persecution and fear of returning to a person’s home country, he said.
Chahal said each case should be examined separately.
If there is evidence that a person obtained a B1 or B2 visa by providing false information or entered the US with a hidden intention to misuse the visa, the case should be examined under the law, he said.
But assuming that every person who later applied for asylum committed fraud would be a matter of serious concern. Each case should be decided on its own facts, he added.
Chahal also said revocation of a visa should not automatically mean immediate deportation.
Reports suggest that the proposed visa revocations would not necessarily lead to immediate removal from the US. People with pending asylum applications could be placed under another immigration status while losing their visitor-visa status, he said.
There is already a lot of anxiety in immigrant and diaspora communities because US immigration policies are changing rapidly. The government should clearly explain who will be affected, what process will be followed, what notice people will receive and what legal options will be available, Chahal said.
He expressed concern over the possible impact on Punjabi and South Asian families, many of whom have close family and business ties between the US, India, Canada and other countries.
Chahal noted that B2 visas are used for tourism, family visits and medical travel, while B1 visas are generally used for business purposes.
The US has every right to stop misuse of its visitor visa system. At the same time, genuine asylum claims should not be discouraged simply because a person originally entered the country as a visitor, he said.
Chahal appealed to members of the diaspora not to panic but to remain cautious.
Keep copies of your immigration documents, carefully read any notice received from US authorities and seek professional legal advice when necessary, he said.