If you are applying for an immigrant visa, including a diversity visa, on or after November 3, 2019, you must demonstrate to the consular officer at the time of interview that you will be covered by approved health insurance within 30 days of entry into the United States or have the financial resources to pay for reasonably foreseeable medical costs.  Inability to meet this requirement will result in the denial of the visa application.

This requirement will apply to all immigrant visa applicants and individuals seeking to enter the United States on an immigrant visa, except: 

• Individuals who are holding (or who held) a valid immigrant visa as of November 3, 2019
  
• Iraqi and Afghan special immigrant visa applicants and their spouses and children  (SI and SQ visas)
  
• Applicants who are children, whether adopted, biological, and step-children, of a U.S. citizen applying in the IR-2, CR-2, IR-3, IR-4, IH-3, or IH-4 visa classifications
  
• Returning Resident SB-1 applicants
  
• Applicants for K fiancé(e) visas and other aliens entering the United States without an immigrant visa, including lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees.
  
• Applicants for IR-5 visas and alien seeking to enter the United States pursuant to an IR-5 visa, provided that the alien or the alien’s sponsor demonstrates to the satisfaction of the consular officer that the alien’s healthcare will not impose a substantial burden on the United States healthcare system
  
• Any alien under the age of 18, except for any alien seeking to accompany a parent who is also immigrating to the United States and subject to this proclamation
  
• Any alien whose entry would further important United States law enforcement objectives, as determined by the Secretary of State or his designee based on a recommendation of the Attorney General or his designee
  
• Any alien whose entry would be in the national interest, as determined by the Secretary of State or his designee on a case-by-case basis

Qualifying Insurance or Financial Resource to Pay for Medical Costs 

If you are not covered by the exceptions above, you will need to show to a consular officer or immigration official that you will be covered by approved health insurance within 30 days of entry to the United States or that you have the financial resources to pay for reasonably foreseeable medical costs. 

Approved health insurance includes: 

• Employer-sponsored health plans, including retiree plans
  
• Unsubsidized health plans offered in the individual market within a State
  
• Short-term, limited duration health plans effective for a minimum of 364 days or until the beginning of planned, extended travel outside the United States
  
• Catastrophic plans
  
• Coverage by a family member’s health plan
  
• U.S. military health plans, including TRICARE
  
• Visitor health insurance plans with adequate medical coverage for a minimum of 364 days or until the beginning of planned, extended travel outside the United States
  
• Medical plans under the Medicare program
  
• Any other health plan with adequate coverage as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services

For individuals over the age of 18, approved health insurance does not include coverage under the Medicaid program. 

The requirement at the visa interview 

During the visa interview, applicants should be able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the consular officer that they have the financial resources to pay for reasonably foreseeable medical costs or will have approved health insurance from the list above within 30 days of entry into the United States.  Officers will review the medical and financial documentation that is already part of the applicant’s case file and may request additional information or documentation as needed. Prior to the visa interview, applicants may wish to review costs and eligibility requirements for approved health insurance plans or consider how they would pay for the reasonably foreseeable medical costs of any current medical condition they may have.   

On April 23, U.S. Embassy Managua ordered the departure of U.S. government family members and authorized the departure of U.S. government personnel in Nicaragua. The change in posture follows a week of violent protests opposing changes to Nicaragua’s social security system, which has since been redacted. Ordered departure status is mandatory for the specified individuals and requires them to evacuate the location immediately. Authorized departure is elective for non-emergency personnel. Ongoing civil unrest has impacted operations at the U.S. Embassy in Managua, which reopened the Consular Section on April 25 with limited staff. Full Embassy operations are anticipated to resume April 26, with emergency services for U.S. citizens from 0900 to 1200. Ordered departure is not permanent and is reviewed regularly for indicators that it is safe for affected individuals to return, including signs that potential threats have been mitigated or security conditions have improved. At this time, it is unclear how long the ordered departure will remain in effect for Managua.

If you have a interview scheduled with the consulate, please contact our office to see if it has been rescheduled.

 

El 23 de abril, la Embajada de los Estados Unidos en Managua ordenó la salida de los familiares del gobierno de los EE. UU. Y autorizó la salida del personal del gobierno de los EE. UU. En Nicaragua. El cambio en la postura sigue a una semana de violentas protestas que se oponen a los cambios en el sistema de seguridad social de Nicaragua, que desde entonces ha sido censurado. El estado de salida ordenado es obligatorio para las personas especificadas y requiere que evacuen la ubicación de inmediato. La salida autorizada es electiva para el personal que no es de emergencia. Los disturbios civiles en curso han tenido un impacto en las operaciones en la Embajada de los EE. UU. En Managua, que reabrió la Sección Consular el 25 de abril con personal limitado. Se anticipa que las operaciones de la Embajada completa se reanudarán el 26 de abril, con servicios de emergencia para ciudadanos estadounidenses de 0900 a 1200. La salida ordenada no es permanente y se revisa regularmente para detectar indicadores de que es seguro para las personas afectadas regresar, incluyendo señales de amenazas potenciales mitigadas o las condiciones de seguridad han mejorado. En este momento, no está claro por cuánto tiempo la salida ordenada permanecerá vigente para Managua.

Si tiene una entrevista programada con el consulado, comuníquese con nuestra oficina para ver si ha sido reprogramada.

As a result of the Russian government’s personnel cap imposed on the U.S. Mission in Russia, DOS announced that the issuance of nonimmigrant visa (NIV) operations in Russia will be suspended beginning August 23, 2017. As of 9:00 am Moscow time Monday, August 21, 2017, the U.S. Mission will begin canceling current NIV appointments countrywide. Beginning September 1, 2017, NIV interviews will occur only at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. NIV interviews at U.S. Consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, and Vladivostok are suspended until further notice, and applicants who have their interviews canceled should call the U.S. embassy to reschedule their NIV interview at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow for a later date.

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There has been a lot of publicity of the travel ban, but not as much discussion of the heightened screening.  Late last week the Department of State issued a cable explaining how the heightened screening would be implemented.  Below please find excerpts of the cable

…

“The Executive Order and Presidential Memorandum highlight the critical importance of maintaining extra vigilance in the conduct of our work and continuing to increase scrutiny of visa applicants for potential security and non-security related ineligibilities. Consular officers should not hesitate to refuse any case presenting security concerns under §221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) in order to explore all available local leads and pending the outcome of an SAO as appropriate, or issue any other refusals or take other precautionary actions pursuant to any applicable ground of inadmissibility under the INA. All officers should remember that all visa decisions are national security decisions. A consular officer should refuse under §214(b) of the INA any nonimmigrant visa applicant whom the consular officer believes may fail to abide by the requirements of the visa category in question.”

…

“In order to ensure that proper focus is given to each application, posts should generally not schedule more than 120 visa interviews per consular adjudicator/per day. Please that limiting scheduling may cause interview appointment backlogs to rise.”

Assuming a 8 hour day of interviews, that leaves the consulate officer 4 minuets per interview.  In order to complete an interview in this brief time frame, it is critical that those appearing for an interview have all of their documents together, neatly and tabbed so the officer can find them.

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A DOS cable announced that, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) updated technical instructions for panel physicians, all visa applicants 15 years of age or older who undergo a medical exam are required to be tested for gonorrhea. Applicants younger than 15 must be tested if there is a history of gonorrhea or reason to suspect gonorrhea infection. Gonorrhea is an inadmissible condition under INA §212(a)(1)(A)(i), but panel physicians previously only tested applicants who were symptomatic.