The United States has lifted Visa Ban imposed on the erstwhile Burmese military regime for "policies that impede Burma's transition to democracy."
The U.S. State Department said the Secretary of State took the decision, effective immediately, considering the Myanmar administration's "calibrated approach to strengthen and encourage further reform while holding Burma to its commitments on human rights and democratization."
The broad travel restriction was implemented in 1996, largely in response to the then-military regime's poor human rights practices, including repression of the pro-democracy Opposition political party National League for Democracy (NLD).
The State Department noted that since 2011, the civilian-led government of Burma has taken important steps toward significant social, political, and economic reform that demonstrate substantial progress on areas of concern emphasized in the 1996 Presidential Proclamation 6925.
Also known as the 1996 Visa Ban, it suspended entry into the United States as immigrants or non-immigrants of "persons who formulate, implement, or benefit from policies that impede Burma's transition to democracy, and the immediate family members of such persons."
The reforms include legislative by-elections in 2012, in which the NLD contested and successfully secured seats in the Burmese Parliament.
Termination of the Presidential Proclamation will facilitate increased engagement between the United States and Burma, the State Department said in a press release.
At the same time, it noted that the termination does not automatically entitle persons, formerly excludable under its provisions, to visas for entry into the United States. Ineligibilities that apply under provisions of the Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA), the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE (Junta's Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act of 2008, and Executive Order 13619 of July 11, 2012 remain in effect, it added.
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