Beginning October 1, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) will require a COVID-19 vaccination for all Green Card applicants. Covid has been added to the list of other vaccines that the CDC requires for immigration applicants.
• A full COVID-19 vaccination will be required to pass the immigration medical exam and obtain legal permanent residence (a Green Card).
• The vaccination requirement will apply to both I-485 adjustment of status applicants in the United States and immigrant visa applicants applying for Green Cards at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad.
• Only applicants who are age-eligible and are determined to be medically appropriate to receive the COVID-19 vaccine will be held to the new requirement.
Foreign nationals who are applying for an immigrant visa at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad:
• will be tested for the COVID-19 infection if they report symptoms when they are scheduling their appointment or during their medical exam
• will be required to complete 14 days of quarantine if they have come in close contact with someone with COVID-19 to pass their medical exam
Green Card applicants must fully complete the COVID-19 vaccines and provide documentation proving their vaccination before their medical examination.
Applicants can receive a Covid vaccine waiver for religious reasons, in addition to age and medical ineligibility. Visa applicants with a medical exam appointment on or after October 1st who do not provide evidence of a complete COVID-19 vaccine series will be inadmissible to the United States.
Immigration law can be confusing, and it changes frequently. It is important to have legal guidance from a knowledgeable attorney. The immigration attorneys at Godoy Law Office in Chicago and Lombard can help you with your immigration case. If you need help with an immigration issue, please contact our office or call us at 630-912-0322.
Immigration Attorney Mario Godoy has years of experience guiding clients with immigration issues through the immigration process along with guiding clients through the criminal case. Godoy focuses on family-based immigration law, business immigration law, removal defense, and criminal defense representation of immigrants. A criminal charge or conviction can be devastating to your immigration case. With over a decade of immigration law experience and memories of family members who were deported due to bad legal advice, Godoy is committed to helping other immigrant families receive the legal justice they deserve. As a legal entrepreneur who practices immigration law, criminal law, estate and probate law, and running two successful law firms, Mario Godoy understands the importance of keeping families together and making a home and future in America.
