Washington, D.C. – The United States has unveiled one of its most aggressive immigration crackdowns, issuing new guidance that will allow consular officers to deny visas and Green Cards to foreign nationals based on pre-existing chronic health conditions, a move that dramatically redefines the century-old “public charge” rule.
Under the new directive from the Trump administration’s State Department, applicants seeking to reside in the U.S. can be flagged for conditions like diabetes, heart disease, cancers, respiratory diseases, and even obesity. The policy instructs visa officers to assess whether an applicant’s medical condition could require “hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of care,” potentially making them a future financial burden on the American public.
This significant expansion of the “public charge” criteria now links an applicant’s long-term health status directly to their eligibility for entry. Historically, health screenings primarily focused on communicable diseases like tuberculosis. The new framework, however, shifts the focus to costly, non-communicable, chronic illnesses.
Consular offices worldwide have been cabled with the instructions to explicitly determine if applicants have the financial resources to cover their long-term medical care “over his entire expected lifespan without seeking public cash assistance or long-term institutionalization at government expense.”
While the directive technically applies to all visa applicants, including those seeking temporary tourist (B-1/B-2) and student (F1) visas, experts anticipate it will primarily be used to restrict legal immigration for those seeking permanent residency.
Immigration advocates have voiced concern, warning that the new rules grant sweeping and subjective authority to consular officers, who often lack the requisite medical expertise to make such profound judgments on an applicant’s long-term health prospects. Critics contend that the policy will inherently favor the wealthiest and healthiest applicants, thereby significantly reducing legal immigration for older applicants and those with common chronic illnesses.
