Magazine, Immigration, CDC Alert
U.S. will require COVID-19 vaccines for immigrants and refugees. As of October 1, immigrant applicants for permanent resident status in the U.S. must be vaccinated against COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced.
“COVID-19 vaccination now meets the vaccination criteria for applicants for refugee or immigrant status,” the CDC says. “All applicants who receive their medical examination from a Civil Surgeon or Panel Physician on or after October 1, 2021 will be subject to this requirement and are encouraged to complete a COVID-19 vaccine series as soon as possible.”
“If the COVID-19 vaccine is a two-dose series, both doses must be documented,” the agency adds.
Exceptions to this rule are included for children for whom COVID-19 vaccines are not recommended because of their age, people with health reasons for not being able to get the vaccine, and green card applicants from countries where COVID-19 vaccines are “not routinely available.”
