Obesity will be grounds for refusal of visa to United States
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sent instructions to diplomatic missions to consider obesity, along with other chronic diseases, as one of the possible reasons for refusing to issue visas to foreigners.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by Politico with reference to the State Department.
Reasons for tightening the rules
The document states that Rubio's directive concerns the current rule prohibiting immigrants from entering the country if they could become a financial burden on the state.
The publication cites data from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to which obesity increases the risk of developing a number of serious diseases that may require expensive and lengthy treatment:
- hypertension;
- respiratory disorders;
- gallstone disease;
- oncological and cardiovascular diseases;
- diabetes.
Consular officers are also advised to take into account the health status of applicants with chronic illnesses.
As White House Deputy Chief of Staff Anna Kelly explained:
"For 100 years, State Department policy has included an authority to deny visa applicants who would pose a financial burden to taxpayers. President Trump’s Administration is finally fully enforcing this policy, and putting Americans first."
We previously reported that Canada is cutting the number of visas for foreigners by almost half, and the European Commission has confirmed new restrictions on the issuance of Schengen visas to Russians.
