Pakistan, Aug. 22 -- A US federal judge has blocked a policy that suspended immigrant visa issuance for applicants from 75 countries. The policy affected Pakistan and several other nations across multiple regions. US District Judge Jeannette Vargas issued the ruling in Manhattan on Friday. She said the policy exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio's legal authority. The judge also found that the policy violated federal immigration law.

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The State Department introduced the suspension in January. It affected applicants from countries across Latin America, South Asia, Africa and other regions. Pakistan and Bangladesh were among the South Asian countries included in the...