Pak-origin UK home secretary Sajid Javid, son of bus driver, joins race to become British PM
London, May 27: Pakistani-origin UK home secretary Sajid Javid on Monday became the ninth contender for the post of British prime minister as he confirmed his intention to contest the Conservative Party leadership race starting next month.
The senior-most minister in the UK Cabinet made the announcement with a video message posted on Twitter, calling for people to join Team Saj .
"I'm standing to be the next leader of Conservatives & Prime Minister of our great country," read his statement.
"We need to restore trust, bring unity and create new opportunities across the UK. First and foremost, we must deliver Brexit. Join Team Saj to help me do just that," he said.
Javid, 49, becomes the latest candidate to throw their hat in the ring to enter Downing Street since Theresa May announced her intention to step down as Conservative leader and therefore as British PM on June 7.
A formal Tory party election process will kick off from June 10, with former foreign secretary Boris Johnson seen as a frontrunner for the PM post.
Others in the fray include Cabinet ministers Michael Gove, Rory Stewart, Jeremy Hunt and Matt Hancock and former ministers Dominic Raab, Esther McVey and Andrea Leadsom.
With the European Parliament election results throwing up a massive bruising for the Conservative Party and major wins for the newly-formed Brexit Party, all the leadership contenders are expected to focus all their attention on the delivery mechanism for Britain's exit from the European Union (EU).
"Hugely disappointing results but this is a verdict on our delivery of Brexit. There's a clear lesson: people want us to get on with it. Not another election or referendum asking if changed their mind. We'll need to unite as a party to deliver that. There are no other options," said Javid, who often highlights his humble roots as the son of Pakistani migrants whose father was a bus driver.
The investment banker-turned-politician has also found strong backing from within the British-Indian community and most recently called for closer India-UK ties at the annual Conservative Friends of India (CFIN) event.
"The new (post-Brexit) immigration system will be a skills-based system, which means it will not be based on nationality. It means that we will be even more open once we have left the EU to welcome even more of India's brightest and best," he said earlier this month.
Javid will now go head to head with the other contenders within the party before the list is whittled down by party MPs down to two that will clash in a vote put to the wider Tory membership from across the UK.
The winner of the vote is expected to take charge as Tory leader and the new British PM in July.
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US pauses visa processing for individuals from 75 countries
New York/Washington (PTI): The Trump administration on Wednesday announced pausing immigrant visa processing for individuals from 75 countries, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Russia, as part of increasing crackdown on foreigners likely to rely on public benefits in the US.
“The State Department will pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates. The freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” the State Department said in a post on X.
“The Trump administration will PAUSE immigrant visa processing from 75 countries until the US can ensure that incoming immigrants will not become a public charge or extract wealth from American taxpayers. AMERICA FIRST,” the White House said in a post on X.
“The freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people. The pause impacts dozens of countries – including Somalia, Haiti, Iran, and Eritrea – whose immigrants often become public charges on the United States upon arrival. We are working to ensure the generosity of the American people will no longer be abused," the State Department said.
"The Trump Administration will always put America First," the State Department added.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott said in a statement, "The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people."
A report in the Fox News said that the pause will begin from January 21.
The State Department memo, seen first by Fox News Digital, directs “consular officers to refuse visas under existing law while the department reassesses screening and vetting procedures”.
The list of countries include Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen.
The Fox News report added that in November 2025, a State Department cable sent to missions around the globe instructed consular officers to “enforce sweeping new screening rules under the so-called "public charge" provision of immigration law.
The guidance had instructed US consular officers across the world to deem those individuals seeking to enter and live in the US ineligible if they have certain medical conditions, including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, saying these people could end up relying on public benefits.
The foreigners applying for visas to live in the US “might be rejected if they have certain medical conditions”. “You must consider an applicant’s health…Certain medical conditions – including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, cancers, diabetes, metabolic diseases, neurological diseases, and mental health conditions – can require hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of care,” the cable had said.
The cable also advised visa officers to consider conditions like obesity in making their decisions, noting that the condition can cause asthma, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure.
The guidance directed "visa officers to deem applicants ineligible to enter the US for several new reasons, including age or the likelihood they might rely on public benefits.
The guidance says that such people could become a “public charge” — "a potential drain on US resources — because of their health issues or age”.
The report added that older or overweight applicants could be denied, along with those who had any past use of government cash assistance or institutionalisation.
