The US Government has assured Kenyans it’ll maintain to trouble visas to applicants holding old technology passports “till in addition be aware.”
Through its embassy in Nairobi, the USA stated Kenyans will retain to get visas whether or not they hold non-virtual passports or the device readable e-passports, reversing an in advance visa utility rule.
“Visa applicants can also follow for a US visa with a non-digital Kenyan passport. We will region a US visa in a non-virtual passport till similarly notice. Holders of contemporary US visas do no longer need to take any action”, the embassy said on its Twitter handle the day prior to this.
The choice came just hours after the embassy generated heated debate on social media with its declaration that US visas would simplest be placed on digital passports. In what it termed as a rationalization, the embassy tweeted on Tuesday: “US visa candidates may also make an appointment the use of antique Kenyan passport but have to have new e-passport earlier than the visa can be issued. Passports ought to be legitimate for six months upon entry and non-virtual passports expire August 31.”
Nairobi, which now hosts a Category One Airport, had pledged to shift to e-passport issuing gadget from September 1, 2017 as a part of its commitment to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) requirements. The new generation passport seekers are required to publish packages on line (at the e-Citizen platform) which are then printed centrally in Nairobi.
The abrupt exchange caught many Kenyans flat-footed as majority of them who hold vintage passports that expire on 2022 have now not afflicted to start applying for the machine-readable files.
In December, Deputy President William Ruto ordered the extension of vintage passports phase-out cut-off date to 2020 after facts confirmed that most effective four hundred,000 out of extra than 2.Five million Kenyans had controlled to collect the files.
The State has been making ready its people for the massive switchover, with internal round seen by way of Business Daily even indicating that civil servants have been inside the know for some weeks now.
“Considering that the system-readable passport will give up to be a valid travel record with impact from September 1, 2019, any system-readable passport is already outdoor the six months validity length,” Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua says inside the circular.
