A large portion of the US population struggles with obesity. For foreigners, obesity should now be a reason for not being allowed to enter the country.
Nilofar Breuer / t-online
The US government under President Donald Trump has tightened the regulations for issuing visas. As several media outlets consistently report, people who apply for a visa to the USA can now be rejected due to obesity or diabetes. This emerges from a letter from the US State Department.
Donald Trump at an event: The African country will receive the equivalent of around 4.4 million euros from the Trump government to accommodate the deportees. Image: keystone
An entry permit could also fail due to their age or a certain probability that the applicant may be dependent on public benefits. According to media reports, the Trump administration’s guidelines state that such individuals could become a “public burden” – a potential drain on U.S. resources – because of their health problems or age.
The list of relevant diseases became significantly longer
As the medium “CBS News” reports, assessing the health status of potential immigrants has been part of the visa application process for years. So far, screenings for infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and the recording of vaccination status are planned.
But experts say the new guidelines would significantly expand the list of conditions to be considered. Overall, they would give visa officers more rights to make immigration decisions based on an applicant’s health status.
Recently, for example, the US State Department revoked the visas of several foreigners because they commented on the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk on social media. There was also a person from Germany among those affected.