[Saab-driving Yuppie]

One more thing, just to clear up another possible misconception. Other countries don’t give a rat’s ass whether the US State Department have them on some sort of list when it comes to admitting visitors. What, does anyone think that when someone presents at an immigration station somewhere, the immigration official will pipe up with a “Sorry, your State Department has placed our country on a no visit list, so you can’t come in.”

All true, but getting back in to the U.S. can be a bee-yotch if you've gone to a travel-ban country, unless you can clean that paper trail.

And, yes, I was suspicious before, and aware now, about the lack of a ban to Paki in 81.

[John Valentine]

A lot of countries don’t stamp a visa in your passport, but issue you a separate travel document that is surrender when you leave the country. Pakistan wasn’t one of those, but some countries which are a bit sensitive and maybe want to reassure visitors that their stay won’t be disclosed to folks that need not know, used these separate visas. One that I know did this was the Soviet Union, and I believe it possible that Israel also issues a separate travel document.