The US State Department has come up with a policy that has a negative effect on foreign nationals with specified health problems, like infections of the heart valves, diabetes, breathing problems, overweight issues, and mental health disorders, by indirectly saying that such applicants might become a ‘public charge’ and consequently issued the directive to consular officers to deny them visas. This has significantly broadened the scope of medical liability and has put more power in the hands of visa officers to refuse applicants by linking it to the need for long term healthcare and the applicant’s assumed capacity to pay for treatment using only their own funds.
What’s New With US Visa Rules
Experts claim that the action is a direct reflection of the administration’s wider immigration control policy. The directive requires the officials to not only look at the health of the applicant but also at the health and dependence of the family members For example kids, elderly parents who will accompany the applicant and might need care or discourage the applicant from getting a job in the US Critics think that the new policy is problematic since the visa officers do not have medical training to predict the future health care costs and this might cause arbitrary rejections and discrimination. A legal expert pointed out that the directive makes the officers hypothesize if a person ‘can cover the costs of such care over his entire expected lifespan without seeking public assistance.’
Trump Administration Visa Policy
The ramifications are tremendous for foreign nationals, especially those from India and other nations where large immigrant application groups exist. The visa eligibility estimations will now include conditions that were earlier not counted as barriers like obesity and metabolic disorders. Advocacy organizations are of the opinion that this might prevent the potential immigrants and medical care seekers with non communicable diseases from coming to the US Besides, they will be the ones who will have to provide much more evidence regarding their financial resources and health status during the visa interviews. Some commentators are of the opinion that this opens up a new area of risk for every person who is planning to stay in the US for a longer term, regardless of the immigration route, whether it is family based or employment based, and, hence, they might further tighten the already strict visa processes.
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