The United States Government has announced a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination as part of its requirements for all applicants seeking lawful permanent residence in the US. This follows the recently released guidelines by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in August. According to the new CDC guidelines, permanent residence applicants will be required to provide an official vaccination record from October 1, 2021, noting that the guideline does not apply to non-immigrant visa applicants.
It also explained that the guideline will not apply to those applicants who are considered “not age appropriate” to receive the vaccine applicants.
The guidelines reads in parts: “Beginning October 1, 2021, green card applicants will now be required to establish that they have received a complete COVID-19 vaccine series, in order to be deemed eligible for permanent residence in the United States.
“The new vaccine requirement will apply to routine medical examinations necessary for both adjustment of status applicants applying for green cards in the United States and immigrant visa applicants applying at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad.
“Individuals must be vaccinated with either the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The CDC will also accept different COVID-19 vaccines as they are recommended by its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
“The CDC now classifies COVID-19 as a “Class A inadmissible condition,” and failure to vaccinate against a vaccine-preventable disease would render a person ineligible for a visa”, the CDC statement read.
“This requirement does not apply to non-immigrant visa (NIV) classes such as tourist or student visas”, the statement added.
