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I understand that nationalities eligible for VWP cannot enter the US without seeking clearance and obtaining a sticker visa from US embassies if they have travelled to Iran, Iraq, Syria & Sudan since March 2011.

But what about citizens from countries that require a US visa to travel to the US, what if they have a valid US B1/B2 visa AND visit Iran/Iraq AND then visit the US soon after? Is there anything to suggest that the visit to the restricted countries would invalidate their existing US B1/B2 visa?

Let me add an example: suppose a citizen of Pakistan or Turkey or Lebanon, who holds a US B1/B2 visa which has been used once, visits Iran and Iraq for tourism/pilgrimage purposes and after a few months arrives at the US port of entry and seeks admission. Is there anything wrong with this scenario?

JonathanReez
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Marbles
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2 Answers2

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Visiting one of the VWP invalidating countries does not invalidate a visa. That's the whole point, since the VWP invalidation compels the VWP national to obtain a visa, and if it also invalidated the visa there would be no way for such a VWP national to visit the US.

You may get a little more questioning if the border guard knows about the visit, and you certainly shouldn't hide your visit if asked, but the visa is still perfectly valid.

DJClayworth
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You'll be fine. They might ask you questions if you get taken to secondary, but that usually only happens if the computer flags a passenger. Source: personal experience.