Turkey and the United States have temporarily suspended all the non-immigrant visa services for visitors traveling between the two countries. CNN reported that this move was first made by the United States after one of its consulate employees was arrested by the Turkish authorities in Istanbul. Non-immigrant visas include tourism, business, temporary work/study and medical treatment whereas immigrant visas are the ones in which the applicant wants to reside in the other country permanently.
How does this move affect American and Turkish travelers
As a result of this decision, Americans cannot travel to Turkey, and Turks will not be able to travel to the United States until any further orders are issued. In its statement, USA's mission to Turkey said that considering the latest incidents, they had to "reassess" Ankara's commitment to the safety of USA's diplomatic personnel and staff in Turkey. In a similar statement issued on their official Twitter account, Turkish authorities said that they will be suspending all non-immigrant visa services at their diplomatic facilities in the United States, in order to "minimise" the visitors at their Embassy and consulates in the US
Will this affect the American visitors who already hold Turkish visas?
One version of the Turkish statement said that the ban applied to "visas in passports" but a second version said that it will be applicable to "sticker visas," "e-visas and border visas." This led to some confusion, as it was not clear whether the suspension would affect American visitors who already have Turkish visas.
What led to the suspension of visa services between both countries?
The tension between both countries escalated after an employee of the United States consulate, Metin Topuz, was arrested by the Turkish authorities for his alleged connection to Fethullah Gulen. Gulen is a Muslim leader based in the United States and just last year he attempted to overthrow the Turkish government via a coup.
Topuz was taken into custody on Wednesday after being accused of spying and attempting to harm the Turkish government. In the past, the Turkish government also urged Washington to hand over Fethullah Gulen, however, the efforts have been in vain so far. Both the United States and Turkey have been NATO allies, although Turkey has also been wary of the United States military assistance of Kurdish YPG fighters in Syria.
Trump met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York last month, where the U.S. President said that "we’re as close as we’ve ever been," while commenting about the ties between both countries.
