The Trump administration<\/strong> has issued new guidance that could allow U.S. visa officers to deny entry to foreign applicants with certain medical conditions<\/strong>, including diabetes, obesity, or cardiovascular disease<\/strong>, citing concerns that such individuals could become a \u201cpublic charge\u201d and strain U.S. resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The directive, outlined in a State Department cable<\/strong> sent to U.S. embassies and consulates and obtained by KFF Health News<\/strong>, instructs visa officers to consider a broader range of chronic and costly medical conditions<\/strong> when evaluating applicants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou must consider an applicant\u2019s health,<\/strong>\u201d the cable states. \u201cCertain medical conditions \u2014 including cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, cancers, diabetes, metabolic diseases, neurological diseases, and mental health conditions \u2014 can require hundreds of thousands of dollars\u2019 worth of care.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The cable further advises consular officials to weigh whether applicants have adequate financial means to cover lifelong medical expenses<\/strong> without relying on U.S. public assistance programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDoes the applicant have adequate financial resources to cover the costs of such care over his entire expected lifespan?\u201d the guidance asks.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n While immigration applicants have long been screened for communicable diseases<\/strong> like tuberculosis and must show proof of vaccinations, experts say the new rules dramatically expand<\/strong> how health can influence visa eligibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is troubling because visa officers are not medically trained,\u201d said Charles Wheeler<\/strong>, a senior attorney with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network<\/strong>. \u201cThey shouldn\u2019t be making projections about future medical emergencies based on personal judgment or bias.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The guidance also allows officials to factor in the health of family members, including dependents with disabilities or chronic illnesses, when assessing whether an applicant can maintain employment or might require public aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Immigration lawyers warn that the directive could disproportionately impact older applicants<\/strong> or those from countries with higher rates of chronic illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTaking into consideration one\u2019s diabetic or heart health history \u2014 that\u2019s quite expansive,\u201d said Sophia Genovese<\/strong>, an immigration attorney at Georgetown University.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Critics argue the measure is part of the administration\u2019s broader effort to tighten U.S. immigration policies<\/strong>, discourage legal immigration, and increase the power of consular officers to make subjective judgments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The State Department<\/strong> has not yet commented publicly on the cable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" New State Department guidance allows visa officers to reject applicants with chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity, or heart disease, citing potential public costs. The Trump administration has issued new guidance that could allow U.S. visa officers to deny entry to foreign applicants with certain medical conditions, including diabetes, obesity, or cardiovascular disease, citing concerns […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2563,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,22],"tags":[526,31,63],"class_list":["post-2562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s","category-world","tag-medical","tag-trump","tag-u-s"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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