Al-Rai al-Am: US toughens visa measures in Jordan

The Jordanian daily al-Rai al-Am said on Monday that the American embassy in Amman started to toughen measures provided to grant entry visas to the US. The embassy decided to leave undetermined the period set to reply to a visa application approval; the embassy had previously a one month period to approve or deny a visa application.

In an exclusive news, the paper said that the official spokesman for the US embassy in Amman did not mention reasons behind this measure. However, Jordanian official sources attributed this measure to the implications of September 11 attacks in the US.

Diplomatic sources told the paper that the American authorities decided to make its decision on visa applications after consultations with Washington, especially for those who are between the ages of 16 and 45.