US may deny visas over obesity, diabetes, or chronic medical conditions
Marco Rubio instructs US embassies to consider health conditions when granting long-term visas, citing potential for costly, ongoing medical care.
The United States will consider obesity or having children with special needs as reasons to reject immigrant visas.
In a cable sent earlier this month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio asked US embassies to factor in conditions, including obesity, when issuing long-term visas, on the grounds that being obese can "require expensive, long-term care."
It also asks embassies to assess if any dependents have "disabilities, chronic medical conditions, or other special needs and require care" to the extent that the visa applicant could not work.
The memo was first reported by KFF Health News. Its contents were confirmed to AFP by a person who saw it.
"You must consider an applicant's health," the cable reads. "Certain medical conditions – including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, cancers, diabetes, metabolic diseases, neurological diseases, and mental health conditions – can require hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of care,” it says, according to the US broadcaster NPR.
The US is already one of the most obese countries in the world, tied to factors including diet and lack of exercise.
Around 40 percent of the US population is obese, with rates on average higher in states that voted for Trump.
“Not a burden on American taxpayer”
The new guidance will apply to people seeking to immigrate to the United States and not foreigners on routine short-term visits.
The US has long looked at whether a person would become a "public charge", relying on government funds, before admitting immigrants, including when Americans seek to bring in marriage partners.
But the Trump administration has been particularly strict in finding reasons to refuse entry as it carries out a sweeping clampdown against migration.
"It's no secret the Trump administration is putting the interests of the American people first," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.
"This includes enforcing policies that ensure our immigration system is not a burden on the American taxpayer."
The Trump administration has funded a surge of immigration enforcement in a bid to deport undocumented migrants en masse.
Rubio has also sought to cancel visas for people who are seen as going against US foreign policy.