US’s new visa rule could affect scores of Indians

DOUG RAND, AN OBAMA WHITE HOUSE IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL, SAID SOME 23,000 INDIANS ARE LIKELY TO BE IMPACTED

Thousands of Indians hoping to immigrate to the United States stand in danger of being denied visas starting November if they are unable to prove they have health insurance or can cover their medical expenses, according to a new rule of the Trump administration on Friday to prevent immigrants from becoming a burden.

The new rule applies to immigrant visa applicants abroad, mostly those, analysts said, being sponsored by immediate relatives, and not those already present in the US such as H-1B visa holders whose Green Card applications were being sponsored by their American employers. Doug Rand, an Obama White House immigration official, said some 23,000 Indians are likely to be impacted by the rule (not necessarily denied, but affected).

There are an estimated 35,000 family-sponsored immigrants from India every year. Nearly a third of them are already in the US when they apply for their Green Card; and the rest come from India. The order goes into effect on November 3.

“Immigrants who enter this country should not further saddle our health care system, and subsequently American taxpayers, with higher costs,” President Donald Trump said in an order issued on Friday, using the same presidential authority under which he had earlier banned Muslims from certain countries as well as the asylum ban. The White House said in an accompanying fact-sheet that the president’s order was intended to “ensure we protect the availability of healthcare benefits for American citizens”. Immigrants, it added, are three time more likely to lack health insurance than citizens and uncompensated healthcare costs have been in excess of $35 billion in each of the past 10 years.

“Large numbers of non-citizens have taken advantage of our country’s generous public health programs,” the White House said.

Immigrant visa applicants will have to provide proof they will be covered by health insurance within 30 days of entering the US or have the ability to pay for medical costs. And they will be required to furnish the proof before their visas were processed.