Is your visa in danger if you travel to the US to get vaccinated?
2:40
(CNN Spanish) -
Although several Latin American countries have already begun to vaccinate their citizens against covid-19, the reality is that it takes a long time to achieve mass vaccination in the inhabitants of several nations.
For this reason, many seek to travel to countries where vaccination is open to adults without the need for proof of residence.
But they hesitate to do so if there is a penalty.
Although there are no express restrictions in some US states and a health treatment is a valid travel reason to enter that country, it must be taken into account that you cannot lie in the procedures.
Can they cancel your visa if you travel to the US to get vaccinated?
The ease of getting vaccinated in the United States - compared to some nations in Latin America - has driven the reactivation of the tourism sector.
However, many people wonder if their US tourist or business visa is in jeopardy if they travel to the US to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
CNN spoke with immigration attorney Carlos Olarte, who indicated that at the moment “there is no official communication from the State Department, the immigration office, or the United States embassies prohibiting people from traveling with the B1 or B2 visa to the United States for the issue of vaccines ”.
For its part, the State Department told CNN that "seeking medical treatment in the United States is a permitted travel purpose for people who have a valid visitor visa."
The agency indicated that visa records are confidential under US law so they cannot discuss individual visa cases.
Why doesn't the United States share the 300 million leftover vaccines?
However, lawyer Olarte indicated that lying to an immigration agent when entering the United States about the reason for the trip is reason enough for a person to have their visa revoked.
"As a tourist, this person would not have any problem with his visa, but if he lies when entering and lies in an appointment he makes in a pharmacy and says that 'I am a resident' and provides documents, there he would have problems tomorrow to renew his visa".
advertising
The governments of Florida, Georgia, California and Texas, for example, do not require proof of residency to access the covid-19 vaccine, so at the time of vaccination you only need to show official identification, like your country's passport.
The world is in the worst moment of the covid-19 crisis.
It didn't have to be this way
Daily COVID-19 cases and deaths in the United States have declined, and one expert says the improved numbers have a lot to do with increased vaccination.
By May 4, nearly 83% of Americans 65 and older have received at least one dose of the covid-19 vaccine and nearly 70% are fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Disease Prevention (CDC).
On Tuesday, President Biden set a goal of administering at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to 70% of the U.S. adult population by July 4.
The vaccination situation in the region
Earlier this year Chile achieved one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, while other nations had not received any vaccines.
By May 3, Chile reported a vaccination rate of 77.68 per 100 inhabitants, only behind Israel (120.93), according to data published by the Our World in Data database of the University of Oxford.
However, the rest of Latin American countries are far behind these figures, considering that the vaccination rate in Brazil is 20.68 per 100 inhabitants, followed by Argentina (17.79) and Mexico (14.33).
Will the problems of the J&J and AstraZeneca vaccines impact?
4:02
With information from Michael Roa
coronavirusCovid-19Turismovaccine against covid-19