Audrey Long, age 13, of Providence, R.I., for her question:
WHAT IS AN ENTRY VISA?
A visa is a formal endorsement placed by government authorities on a passport, indicating that the passport has been examined and found valid by the nation to be visited, and that the bearer may legally go to his or her destination. An entry visa signifies that the bearer has received official permission to enter a country as a visitor.
Entry visas serve the general purpose of enabling a government to limit and control the entry of aliens into a country. These visas are of two general types: the passport entry visa, which is issued to persons who wish to enter a country for a visit of stated duration, and the immigration entry visa, which is issued to persons who want to enter and settle permanently in the country.
In the U.S., the requirement of entry visas became an integral part of the immigration system in 1917. Before that year aliens were permitted to enter the U.S. without a visa but were subject to exclusion on various grounds.
The immigration laws were strengthened by Congress during World War I, when strict control over the entry of aliens was deemed essential to curtailing enemy espionage and sabotage.
Several enactments passed since 1918 have fully defined the visa requirements for both immigrants and nonimmigrants and have rendered them increasingly stringent. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 removed racial restrictions on the immigration and naturalization of aliens and made provision for the immigration of defectors from Communist countries.
Limits have been placed on the number of aliens who may immigrate to the U.S. each year. Certain classes of aliens, including the spouses and children of U.S. citizens, are exempt from these limits.
Those applying to the U.S. consular officials abroad for immigration entry visas are normally required to present documentary evidence of their status as responsible and law abiding citizens of their own country. They must submit to a mental and physical examination and establish their eligibility to receive an immigration visa.
American consular officials may refuse entry visas to aliens only on specific grounds set forth in the immigration laws, including mental defects, affliction with a dangerous contagious disease, conviction for crimes involving moral turpitude or illicit narcotics trafficking, fraud or willful misrepresentation in procuring a visa, membership in certain proscribed organizations, and prospective activities in the U.S. believed prejudicial to the public interest or dangerous to the welfare, safety or security of the nation.
Some nations require that their own citizens obtain exit visas ¬that is, government authorization to leave the country before traveling or settling abroad.
Exit visas are frequently required by countries in which unfavorable political, social or economic conditions have resulted in a marked rise in emigration.