As of Oct. 1, new immigrants to the United States will have to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reported Tuesday.
People who want to become “permanent legal residents” (or green card holders) are allowed to live in the United States and eventually seek citizenship. Applicants for permanent residency must undergo a medical examination.
The Covid vaccine joins a list of others that applicants should have, including inoculations against measles, mumps, rubella, polio, and hepatitis A and B, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Disease Prevention. Some people may be exempt from the new rules, including those who are too young to be vaccinated and those who have medical conditions that make their shots dangerous.
About 54 percent of the U.S. population is completely vaccinated against Covid-19 and some people have begun receiving booster shots.
The new requirement for those seeking permanent residency in the United States is in line with President Biden’s new immunization mandates for federal workers and contractors. The Pentagon has announced that active military personnel must also be vaccinated.
Mr. Biden has rolled back several immigration rules from the Trump era, including the ban on legal immigration that Donald J. Trump enforced at the beginning of the pandemic.