Visas Denied for Medical Reasons

According to a Trump administration decision on Thursday, foreigners with certain medical issues, such as diabetes or obesity, may not be granted visas to reside in the United States. The directive instructs visa officers to declare applicants unable to enter the United States for a number of new grounds, such as age or the possibility that they would rely on public services. It was conveyed in a cable that the State Department sent to embassy and consular staff and was reviewed by KFF Health News.

According to the guidelines, these individuals may become a “public charge”—a possible burden on American resources—due to their age or health problems. Experts said the new guidelines significantly broaden the list of medical conditions to be taken into consideration and give visa officers more authority to make decisions about immigration based on an applicant’s health status, even though evaluating potential immigrants’ health has long been a part of the visa application process, including screening for communicable diseases like tuberculosis and obtaining vaccine history.

In determining whether an immigrant may become a public charge and should be refused admission into the United States, the cable also urges visa officials to take into account other problems, such as obesity, which it says can cause asthma, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure. Additionally, visa officials were instructed to ascertain if applicants could afford medical care without assistance from the US government. The phrasing in the document seems to contradict the State Department’s own Foreign Affairs Manual, which states that visa officials cannot deny an application on the basis of “what if” scenarios.