The United States has lifted the ban on visas for government functionaries and their immediate families which was imposed in a feud over the processing of documentation for deportees.

With effect from December 14, the ban on the issuance of non-immigrant visas to these persons was lifted, statements from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US Embassy said yesterday.

Those functionaries and their family members refused visas on this ground alone during the period the ban was in force, could now submit a new application with fee receipt and photo to the Non-Immigrant Visa Section, Monday - Friday between 7-11 am.

The ban was imposed just over two months ago after the US Justice Department determined that the Guyana government was not acting fast enough to provide travel documents for 113 Guyanese it wanted to return to Guyana, for being in breach of its immigration laws.

A US Embassy release said that the lifting of the suspension was in recognition of the significant progress made by the Guyana government "in documenting and accepting the return of Guyanese citizens subject to removal from the United States."

It said too that the "US government looks forward to continued cooperation with the Government of Guyana to document additional Guyanese citizens who are subject to deportation from the United States and for whom travel documents are required."

It said too that as a result of the suspension being lifted, the Consular Section has reinstated its normal visa application procedures, including the use of the drop box for eligible applicants.

Since the ban was imposed the Guyana government had moved to identify and issue travel documents for 112 persons - one of the original number had died - for whom they were requested. Of these, 70 have so far been returned. Forty of them were sent back by commercial flights while 30 have been repatriated by chartered aircraft.

The documentation process was monitored by the Office of the President after a foul-up by government departments prevented the US authorities from being informed that the Guyana government was prepared to issue travel documents for 33 of the persons with the rest to be issued over a five-month period.

During the ban, a number of government functionaries and others classified as officials were denied visas by the US Embassy here.