By NAN Staff Writer
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY., Weds. Sept. 1, 2021: Want to get an immigrant visa to the US from the Caribbean, Latin America or somewhere else in the world? Then you had better be vaccinated.
Starting on October 1, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is requiring that all Immigrant Visa applicants over the age of 12 be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
A policy update for immigrant visa applicants from the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday encouraged all “applicants to begin the vaccination process now, if you are not already vaccinated for COVID-19.”
Being fully vaccinated means that the applicant has completed the vaccine series (2 doses), which can take up to 28 days.
You will need to present your original vaccination card and a color copy of your card to the panel physician at the time of your visa appointment.
“This new requirement is a crucial step forward as we all work together to fight COVID-19 and the Delta variant,” the Embassy statement added of the mandate.
The decision comes amid the spike in COVID-19 cases in the Caribbean and Latin America as well as globally. So far, Cuba and Jamaica are struggling with rising new cases daily and a lack of oxygen.
