Britain says U.S. immigration curbs do not apply to UK travellers

(Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel restrictions do not apply to people travelling from the United Kingdom regardless of their nationality or place of birth, Britain’s Foreign Office said.

But advice posted on Monday on the U.S. embassy website tells nationals and dual nationals of the seven countries to which restrictions apply that visa issuance has been suspended and they should not schedule a visa appointment.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who on Sunday said it was divisive and wrong to stigmatise because of nationality, had sought clarification from the U.S. government, the Foreign Office said late on Sunday.

The new Republican president on Friday put a four-month hold on allowing refugees into the United States and temporarily barred travelers from Syria and six other Muslim-majority countries, amidst a global backlash.

“The U.S. has reaffirmed its strong commitment to the expeditious processing of all travellers from the United Kingdom,” the British Foreign Office said in a statement.

It said the restrictions only applied to individuals travelling from the seven named countries, so people arriving from other countries, including the United Kingdom, would not be subject to more checks.

It also said that dual nationals, with citizenship from Britain and one of the seven countries, will only be subject to extra checks if they travel to the United States from one of the targeted countries.

There was no immediate comment on Monday about the U.S. embassy website advice.

The Foreign Office declined to comment on which advice was correct and the embassy did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.