Grandparents of US citizens from six Muslim-majority countries are now eligible to receive US visas, according to a State Department memo seen by Reuters that reflects the latest court ruling on US President Donald Trump’s travel ban.
The memo, or cable, from US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was sent to all US diplomatic posts overseas on Friday after a US district judge in Hawaii issued a ruling late on Thursday limiting the scope of the administration’s temporary ban on refugees and travellers from the six countries.
US District Judge Derrick Watson in Honolulu found the government cannot bar grandparents and other relatives of United States citizens from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from getting visas under the ban.
Watson declined to put his ruling on hold pending appeal, meaning it went into effect immediately. The administration has asked the Supreme Court and San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals to block the decision.
The 14 July cable updated the definition of “close family” that are exempt from the temporary travel ban laid down in Trump’s 6 March executive order.
The cable reversed the State Department’s previous, narrow definition of close family and stated that “grandparents, grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces, and cousins” are eligible for visas.
Consulates and embassies do not need to re-open any visa applications refused under the prior, narrower definition of close family members, the cable said.
(The article has been edited for length.)
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