Originally Posted by
GUWonder
Yesterday may be different than today.
Today, several Iraqis with US visas were denied travel to the US with at least one airline saying -- whether true or not -- that they got a message to deny US-bound travel to citizens of these countries.
Iranian media is reporting the same. (My wife is translating some of the coverage from Farsi.) More concerning, in the past couple hours it has been reported that CBP is detaining folks who were in transit. Lawsuits are underway, which may preclude the speedy repatriation of such individuals. Feels like the VWP enhancements all over again, but this time so much more desperate.
I know that my wife's friend traveling IKA-DOH-ORD didn't make it. Not sure if she was bounced at IKA or DOH. There are reports that all seats between IKA and US destinations were filled (or at least purchased) on Friday evening; one person with a recently issued visa paid $8k out of desperation for a QR J ticket and didn't make it. Astoundingly, the same scammers who charge ridiculous sums to fill out diversity visa entries (and often do it wrong, causing serious problems when one of their customers actually wins!) are marketing their services today, claiming that they have access to charter flights still boarding to the US via Oman and they can get visa and green card holders there for just $3k.
It's also likely to damage some careers.
I will heed the moderator's warning against "going OMNI," but I'm stunned to think about how different my situation would be if I had chosen slightly different flight dates and gone south of the border for our usual January vacation. Surely, the tourist visas held by Iranian green card holders to third countries will start expiring soon. I guess the 180-day visa free access for green cards to Canada and Mexico is officially invalidated now for Iranians, as they presumably don't want such individuals stranded on their soil? So much for a conference my wife was looking forward to in Montreal.
It's still early to go there, but I have a feeling that I will remember this week as one that shaped the trajectory of my life when I'm being interviewed for my granddaughter's social studies homework in 40 -50 years. Even if by some miracle this passes quickly, the feeling of helplessness in these days is likely to push me closer to policy-related work in some shape or form. I'm also going to start looking for academic jobs in Canada again immediately - I already interviewed up there and was truly impressed by the options they offer for family reunification.