Overview
- Issued Nov. 6, the directive tells visa officers to weigh medical status, age and likelihood of relying on public benefits when judging eligibility.
- The expanded list cites obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory disease, cancer, metabolic and neurological conditions, and mental disorders.
- Officers are instructed to determine whether applicants can pay for needed treatment without U.S. government help and to consider the health of children and elderly parents.
- The guidance applies broadly but will be enforced most strictly for people seeking permanent residence, diverging from past focus on communicable diseases.
- Advocates warn the change grants wide discretion that could increase denials, with the policy document first reported by KFF Health News and now in use at consulates.