Co-founder of London-based startup Onfido, Eamon Jubbawy remains concerned that he can no longer visit his company's San Fransisco office, because of his Iraqi origin. A British citizen who studied economics and management at Oxford, Jubbawy is currently based in London and does not think he'll be able to travel to the US any time soon.
"My parents were born in Iraq, and although I had planned to travel next month, the ban is pretty unclear with regards to what is and isn't allowed,: he said. Just last week, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that has temporarily halted visa holders from seven majority-Muslim countries from travelling to the US. The affected countries are, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Reports revolving the order, suggest that several British citizens including Olympic athlete Mo Farah could be barred from the US.
While UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said that no Briton is barred from the US, following the order, US Embassy in London contradicted his claims by issuing an "urgent notice" on its website. It warned people of dual nationality not to apply for visas or attend visa interviews as their applications would not be processed. Even so, No. 10 claims that British citizens holding dual nationalities will not be affected by Trump's travel ban if they are travelling from the UK.
Jubbawy began the company with fellow Oxford graduates Husayn Kassai, and Ruhul Amin, in 2012. Headquartered out of an office above London's Covent Garden Tube station, Onfido grew to a total strength of 100, including 10 in San Fransisco. "Until the executive order, we didn't really care about who's from where or what religion they were, we didn't ask, but all these things have been a distraction and worrying," Kassai said. Born in Manchester, he moved to San Francisco to help the business grow. He holds a US green card, meaning he is not directly affected by the immigration ban. However, that doesn't mean he can stay put. "I need to decide by this week if I'm going to leave the country. I just need to check with the lawyers if I'll be able to come back," Kassai said.
