According to an order issued by the Trump administration on Thursday, visa officers will conduct stricter health screenings on all types of visa applicants, particularly foreign nationals with certain serious illnesses such as diabetes and obesity, whose applications for US residency visas may be denied.
The Kaiser Family Foundation Health News reported that the US State Department recently sent a telegram to officials at US embassies and consulates around the world instructing immigration officers to carefully scrutinize the health conditions of immigration visa applicants to determine if they might become a “public charge” by relying on public welfare and consuming US resources.
The telegram instructed that “applicants’ health conditions must be considered, as some diseases, including but not limited to cardiovascular diseases, respiratory system diseases, cancer, diabetes, metabolic diseases, neurological diseases, and mental health issues, may require hundreds of thousands of dollars in treatment costs.”
The telegram also mentioned that obesity can lead to asthma, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure, “which may require expensive and long-term care.”
The telegram further instructed visa officers to determine if applicants have the ability to pay for medical expenses without assistance from the US government.
The telegram asked, “Does the applicant have sufficient financial resources to pay for such care within their expected lifespan without seeking public cash assistance or government funding for long-term institutional care?”
The telegram also instructed visa officers to understand if “there are any dependents under the applicant’s name who are disabled, suffer from chronic illnesses or other special needs that require care, thereby preventing the applicant from continuing to work.”
Charles Wheeler, a senior lawyer at the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, a non-profit legal aid organization, stated that the above instructions apply to almost all visa applicants but may only be used in cases involving applications for permanent residency in the United States.
As per tradition, immigrant applicants must undergo a medical examination by a doctor approved by the US embassy, including infectious disease screening, and are required to disclose all drug or alcohol abuse history, mental health conditions, or violent behaviors, and must receive various vaccines to prevent infectious diseases such as measles, polio, and hepatitis B.
Sophia Genovese, an immigration lawyer at Georgetown University, stated that the new directive further emphasizes the consideration of chronic illnesses.
She said, “Considering the range of issues involved in a person’s history of diabetes or heart disease, if this change takes effect immediately, it will evidently raise many questions during the consular interview process for applicants.”
(Adapted from a report by CBS NEWS)