According to the publication, the State Department has sent updated instructions to consulates, requiring visa officers to consider applicants' conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, as well as heart, lung, and nervous system diseases, and mental disorders. All these conditions are now viewed as potential reasons for denial.
The document notes that treatment for such diseases in the U.S. can be quite costly. If authorities believe that an applicant may become a "financial burden" to the country, they may be denied a visa.
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Additionally, visa officers must take into account the applicant's age, the number of children, and the presence of elderly relatives and disabled individuals in the family. Lawyers express the opinion that such instructions give consular staff excessively broad powers, which may lead to an increase in the number of denials.
Previously, chronic illnesses rarely served as a reason for denial, except in cases involving dangerous infections. However, consulate staff are now effectively being asked to independently assess the anticipated treatment costs for each potential immigrant.
Some diplomats suggest that these measures are an attempt by the authorities to further restrict immigration and slow down the visa system's operations.
