Applicants for immigrant visas to the US could be rejected if they have chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes or obesity, under a new directive from the US Department of State, US media outlet KFF Health News reported on Thursday.
The policy directs visa officers to deny applicants who might rely on public benefits due to health issues, age or their financial situation, the article said.
Sent to department employees through an internal cable, the guidance said that these people could become a “public charge,” or a drain on US public resources.
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“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 [US] dollars’ worth of care,” the cable said.
While the US visa application process has included a health screening for years, checking for communicable diseases such as tuberculosis and obtaining vaccine history, the new guidelines expand the medical conditions to be considered and give officers more power to make decisions based on the applicant’s health status, the article said.
The guidance even encourages officers to consider obesity, which it said can cause asthma, sleep apnea and high blood pressure, KFF said.
The change is part of US President Donald Trump’s “divisive and aggressive campaign to deport immigrants living without authorization in the US and dissuade others from immigrating into the country,” it said.
The cable directs officers to develop “their own thoughts about what could lead to some sort of medical emergency or sort of medical costs in the future,” even though they have no medical training.
Visa officers were also asked to consider if the applicant has the means to pay for medical treatment without help from the US government.
The cable’s language appears at odds with the Foreign Affairs Manual, the State Department’s handbook, which says that visa officers cannot reject an application based on “what if” scenarios, said Charles Wheeler, a senior attorney for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network.
In its coverage of this story published on Friday, the Hill said that the first Trump administration shifted public charge policies, expanding those who would be considered a drain on government resources.
The administration of former US president Joe Biden unwound this public charge rule, but the second Trump administration is again expanding the definition to dissuade immigrants from coming to the US, the Hill said.
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