On Friday, 4 October, President Donald trump issued a decree that bans immigrants to receive visas if they can prove they have medical insurance or the ability to pay for medical expenses after they become permanent residents of the United States.
The document comes into force on 3 November. According to the decree, the consular officer should refuse to issue visas to immigrants who want to live in the USA, if they do not have health insurance or they can’t prove they have «financial resources for reasonably predictable medical expenses.» The new requirement could hinder the immigration of people in the United States, especially those who have no financial means.
Subsidies provided by Medicaid (the affordable care Act maintenance), do not qualify as «approved medical insurance» in accordance with the proclamation.
The President justified such a step, saying that legal immigrants are three times more likely than U.S. citizens to lack health insurance, making them a burden to taxpayers. Officials refer to the research Fund of the family of Kaiser, which States that among the non-elderly population 23% of legal immigrants most likely are not insured, compared with about 8% of Americans.
This ruling does not affect immigrants with a valid visa issued before the date of entry into force of refugees and asylum seekers.
According to Steve Yale-Loera, a researcher on immigration at Cornell Law School, the result of this step each year will be denied the issuance of green cards to thousands of people.
«President trump couldn’t build a physical wall along the border between the U.S. and Mexico to curb illegal immigrants, said Yale-loer, but he actually built an invisible wall to keep out legal immigrants».
Immigration lawyers argue that this rule discriminare those who live in poorer countries, separates families and encourages legal residents to abandon the state required assistance.
