Newly announced rules mean that it is now much easier for people with HIV to get a visa to visit the USA.

Entry to the US

Newly announced rules mean that it is now much easier for people with HIV to get a visa to visit the USA. Until now, people with HIV were banned from entering the US unless they obtained a special “visa waiver”. If you have HIV and are a non-US citizen and wish to visit the US as a tourist or for business for 30 days or less you will now be able to get a visa after visiting your local US consulate.The new rules have been introduced because President Bush promised to “streamline” the procedures for HIV-positive non-US citizens entering the US. President Bush made this pledge because the US has been widely criticised for its policy that effectively bans HIV-positive non-US citizens from entering the country.The new rules mean that a visa will be granted if you meet all the normal conditions for entry to the USA. You will have to show that you are not at risk of becoming ill during your visit, have an adequate supply of anti-HIV drugs (if you need them) to last the duration of your stay and that you have insurance to cover medical costs in the event of illness. The US consulate will also have to be satisfied that you’re not going to infect anybody with HIV during your visit.It is important to note that if you are planning to travel to the US you must, under these rules, obtain a visa before travelling. You will still have to declare your HIV status and will not be legally allowed to simply fill in the form on the plane that usually exempts UK citizens from having to get a US visa.These new rules are likely to be swept away soon so that people with HIV will be able to enter the US just like anyone else. This summer the US Congress passed an act which removed the legal ban introduced in the 1990s on people with HIV entering the US. But a regulation banning entry to non-US citizens with HIV predates the law that has been repealed. A process has been started removing HIV from the list of diseases that can prevent entry to the US, and these new rules are an interim measure until this has been completed. 

With Thanks to NAM