The Donald Trumpadministration has recently launched a new policy that may deny entry to foreigners seeking visas to live in the United States based on pre-existing medical conditions like diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
Reportedly, the new directive was issued in a cable sent by the US State Department to the embassy and the consular officials. As reported by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), the White House may deny granting visas to these individuals as they may end up requiring "hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of care."
"You must consider an applicant's health," the US State Department instructed the consular officials. "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 dollars' worth of care."
US State Department's cable also instructed consular officials to consider other medical conditions like obesity which can cause asthma, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure in their assessments. Additionally, they were instructed to check whether applicants can afford medical treatment independently without relying on the US government.
The cable reads, "Does the applicant have adequate financial resources to cover the costs of such care over his entire expected lifespan without seeking public cash assistance or long-term institutionalization at government expense?"
Consular officials are further asked to do background checks on applicants' family health history including children and older parents. In the cable the US State Department asked, "Do any of the dependents have disabilities, chronic medical conditions, or other special needs and require care such that the applicant cannot maintain employment?"
Charles Wheeler, a senior attorney for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, has reportedly said that this new policy issued by the Trump administration applies to all visa applicants but is most likely to be used only in scenarios when an applicant seeks to permanently live in the United States.
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