En esta noticia
U.S. immigration authorities are tightening checks at airports in Fort Worth, Miami, Phoenix, San Antonio, and New York and barring entry to travelers who present a mis-stamped visa, that is, one separated from the passport in which it was originally issued.
The warning is based on State Department regulations and on statements from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, which remind travelers that a visa is a revocable permit and not an automatic guarantee of entry into the country.
What does it mean for a visa to be misstamped?
A mis-stamped visa is one that is loose or removed from the passport in which consular authorities originally stamped it.
The State Department states that this irregularity can void the document’s validity, even when the visa has not yet expired and the rest of the traveler’s documentation is in order.
Situations officers review when entering the country:
- The visa is physically attached to the original passport.
- That the passport presented matches the one listed in the consular system.
- That there are no physical alterations on the visa page.
How does this measure affect travelers?
The impact is immediate: if an officer from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detects the irregularity, they may deny entry at the port of entry itself, regardless of whether the visa is still valid in the system.
In this situation, travelers are advised to verify before traveling that the visa remains in the original passport and to avoid any handling of the document. Having a valid visa does not guarantee entry, since the final decision always depends on the CBP officer at the port of entry.