Overview
- U.S. embassies and consulates received new guidance this week expanding health and resource factors in immigrant visa adjudications, according to reporting by KFF Health News.
- Officers are instructed to consider conditions such as obesity and diabetes, with broader categories cited including cardiovascular, respiratory, cancer, metabolic, neurological and mental-health disorders.
- Advanced age is identified as a factor that could increase the likelihood of reliance on public benefits under the public-charge standard.
- The directive calls for determining whether applicants can cover medical treatment costs without U.S. government assistance.
- Officials are advised to consider the health of immediate family members, while legal and advocacy groups voice concerns about the policy’s breadth and potential effects.