In the United States, it is proposed to recognize expired Belarusian passports and give Belarusians the status of temporary protection. The corresponding bill was published on the website of the US Congress.
The document under the working title Belarus and Russia Investments in Democratic Governance during Exile Act was introduced by Senator Benjamin Cardin. He proposes measures to support citizens of Belarus and Russia who left their countries “for political reasons.” In particular, the draft stipulates that the United States will recognize expired Belarusian passports as valid for travel to the States and will be able to insert visas into such documents.
In addition, citizens of Belarus are proposed to be recognized as persons of “homeless nationality” — that is, people who do not have the opportunity to apply for a visa in Belarus. Thus, they may be eligible to apply for nonimmigrant and immigrant visas in other countries.
The bill provides for the possibility of granting Belarusians Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which gives the right to live and work in the United States for a certain period and can be granted on the basis of an individual application. It is also proposed that the United States urge the European Commission to issue legal documents for international travel to Belarusians “in exile”.
The bill S.5116 itself was introduced in Senate on September 19, 2024. He has already passed two readings and has been sent to Committee on Foreign Affairs for further consideration.
Recall, the United States does not recognize the legitimacy of Alexander Lukashenko and strongly supports the Belarusian opposition. In addition, Washington imposed unprecedented sanctions against Belarus, which had a serious impact on the Belarusian economy.