US will mandate the COVID-19 vaccination of all new immigrants, but not illegal ...

US will mandate the COVID-19 vaccination of all new immigrants, but not illegal ...
US will mandate the COVID-19 vaccination of all new immigrants, but not illegal ...

The United States is now requiring all new immigrants applying for permanent residency to be vaccinated against Covid-19 as part of their immigration medical examination, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced on Tuesday.

However, the new rule will not apply to migrants crossing the southern border illegally. 

Anyone crossing the border has had the option to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at various patrol sites since early August, but it will still be on a voluntary basis and no one will need to show proof of vaccination to enter the country. 

In a statement about the new mandate, which will be effective October 1, the USCIS wrote that anyone ‘applying to become a lawful permanent resident, and other applicants as deemed necessary, must undergo an immigration medical examination to show they are free from any conditions that would render them inadmissible under the health-related grounds.' 

All new immigrants applying for permanent residency must be vaccinated against Covid-19 as part of their immigration medical examination, but the new rule will not apply to migrants crossing the southern border illegally

All new immigrants applying for permanent residency must be vaccinated against Covid-19 as part of their immigration medical examination, but the new rule will not apply to migrants crossing the southern border illegally

Anyone crossing the border has had the option to get vaccinated since early August, but it is on a voluntary basis and migrants will still not need the shot or proof of vaccination to enter the country.

Anyone crossing the border has had the option to get vaccinated since early August, but it is on a voluntary basis and migrants will still not need the shot or proof of vaccination to enter the country.

Most immigrants seeking a green card will be subject to the vaccine mandate, including asylum seekers, refugees and migrants adjusting their status. Those applying for temporary residency will only be subject to the mandate in certain cases, the USCIS states. 

Migrants seeking asylum or refugee status from within the US will not be required to have the shot, unless they seek a 'change of status' - a green card. 

That application in itself usually takes years, and the I-693 form must only be completed 60 days before it is submitted.

That means any asylum seeker or refugee who does seek to become a permanent resident would not have to comply with the vaccine requirement for a lengthy period of time after their initial arrival in the US. 

Anyone seeking permanent citizenship must visit a doctor designated by the USCIS as a ‘civil surgeon’ eligible to conduct the immigration medical examination and sign Form I-693, or a Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record.

The Covid-19 vaccination will be added to the CDC’s list of shots required to complete the examination, which also includes varicella, the flu, pneumococcal pneumonia, rotavirus, Hepatitis A, meningococcal disease.

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 established a precedent for vaccine mandate and required immigrants to be vaccinated against the mumps, measles, rubella, polio, tetanus, diphtheria toxoids, pertussis, haemophilius influenza type B and Hepatitis B. 

Anyone seeking permanent citizenship must visit a doctor designated by the USCIS as a ¿civil surgeon¿ eligible to conduct the immigration medical examination and sign Form I-693, or a Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record

Anyone seeking permanent citizenship must visit a doctor designated by the USCIS as a ‘civil surgeon’ eligible to conduct the immigration medical examination and sign Form I-693, or a Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record

The above chart from the USCIS details which groups of immigrants are subject to  the medical examination and vaccination requirements

The above chart from the USCIS details which groups of immigrants are subject to  the medical examination and vaccination requirements

Most immigrants seeking a green card will be subject to the vaccine mandate, including asylum seekers, refugees and migrants adjusting their status

Most immigrants seeking a green card will be subject to the vaccine mandate, including asylum seekers, refugees and migrants adjusting their status

Exemptions to the mandate apply if applicants are under 12 and therefore not yet eligible for the Covid-19 vaccination, if the vaccine if not routinely available where the ‘civil surgeon’ practices or if a limit in the country’s vaccine supply

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