US State Department mandates fear-of-return screening in visa interviews
→Visa interviews halt if applicants affirm fear of return or refuse to answer
Change
USA's State Department mandated consular officers to ask two harm-and-fear screening questions and stop visa interviews if applicants affirm fear or decline to respond.
Why it matters
The directive requires all consular officers to integrate harm-and-fear screening into visa interviews globally. Applicants who confirm fear of harm or refuse to answer face interview termination and increased refusal risk.
Implications
- → Consular officers must include both harm-and-fear questions in all visa interviews — omission breaches mandated process
- → Visa applicants must answer both screening questions to proceed — refusal or affirmative responses halt interview processing
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Source
View on The Guardian