BAGHDAD - IRAQI citizens who want to travel to America will be given an improved one-year multiple entry visa if their applications are successful, the US Embassy in Baghdad announced on Thursday.
The new category is being introduced immediately and replaces the three-month single entry document previously granted to Iraqi passport holders headed to the United States.
'Starting today (Thursday) all US visas issued to Iraqis are eligible for a maximum validity of up to one full year. This is good news for Iraqi travellers,' said US Embassy Consul General Jeffrey Lodinsky in a statement.
The new regulations followed discussions between the US and Iraqi governments to grant reciprocal visa terms for citizens of both countries, the statement added.
A US Embassy spokesman in Baghdad confirmed there was no limit on the number of times Iraqi citizens could enter America during the 12-month period of their visas.
The announcement came on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq which toppled dictator Saddam Hussein from power but sparked a bloody insurgency and sectarian bloodshed that killed tens of thousands. -- AFP
