The U.S. Consulate General in Erbil issued a statement on Saturday announcing temporary halt of visas to Iraqi nationals had taken place after a U.S. Presidential executive order was signed on Friday.
Visa issuance to Iraqis, Iranians, and Syrians “has been suspended effective immediately until further notification,” according to a statement from the consulate. The statement came following US President Donald Trump signing an executive order on Friday to ban for 90 days the issuance of visas to nationals of seven countries — including Iraq, Iran and Syria.
“If you are a national, or dual national, of one of these countries, please do not schedule a visa appointment or pay any visa fees at this time,” the statement read. “If you already have an appointment scheduled, please do not attend your appointment as we will not be able to proceed with your visa interview.”
In response, Hussein Hassan, the director of the Iraqi film “Reseba — The Dark Wind,” has withdrawn his visa application to the U.S. for clearance to attend the North American premiere of his film at the upcoming Miami Film Festival.
The producer of the film, Mehmet Aktas, said Hassan withdrew his application as an act of “peaceful protest” about President Donald Trump’s expected order that will restrict entrance to the U.S. for those from some Middle Eastern nations.
Trump’s executive order, which aims for “extreme vetting,” included exemptions for diplomats.
“Please note that certain travel for official governmental purposes is not subject to this suspension,” the consulate wrote, adding that people should continue to monitor the consulate’s website.
Within an hour of being on Facebook, the post elicited more than 700 reactions.
The US, under former President Barack Obama, announced plans earlier this month to build a $600 million, 200,000 square-meter consulate general building in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region.
As of Saturday evening, the US Embassy in Baghdad had not made a similar announcement regarding visas.