CDC新规：10月1日起 , 美绿卡申请者须接种新冠疫苗！
9/01/2021
近日，美国疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）发布一项最新政策，从10月1日起，所有来美绿卡申请人都必须提交COVID-19疫苗接种证明，作为体检的一部分。才有资格获得美国永久居留权。
新的CDC指南，将适用于居住在美国寻求绿卡申请的外国移民。
CDC在其网站上说：“COVID-19疫苗接种现在符合所需疫苗接种的标准，并且是针对有资格接种疫苗的（绿卡）申请人的一项要求。”
该机构表示，COVID-19的阴性测试结果，并不能保证他们在成为美国永久居民后不会染疫。
一般来说，绿卡申请者是需要通过移民体检项目的。
根据CDC最新的要求，从2021年10月1日起，申请身份调整（I-485）递交的移民体检报告（I-693）需要接种新冠疫苗。
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上述新政策意味着从10月1日起，绿卡申请人在移民体检前，需完成新冠疫苗接种，并递交相关文件给移民体检医生。
当前还未完全进行新冠疫苗接种的申请人，其移民申请进度可能会因此而导致延误。
此外，受到疫情影响，目前移民体检报告I-693的有效期延长至4年。
“在医疗评估时，核酸呈阴性并不能保证申请人在成为合法永久居民时不会感染新冠，疫苗接种应与常规防疫措施相结合，这可以为申请人和美国提供最好的保护”。
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)美国免疫接种咨询委员会此前已经建议美国符合年龄人群接种新冠疫苗，所以该疫苗适用于符合年龄的身份调整申请人。
申请人必须在移民体检前完成接种新冠疫苗，并将相关的文件递交给移民体检医生。
指定的移民体检医生必须亲自检查并确认申请人的新冠疫苗接种文件，以保证申请人完全接种。有效疫苗接种文件包括疫苗接种记录卡，医生记录的病历副本等等。
没有书面文件证明的自我阐述是无效的。
新冠疫苗于其他身份调整时需要接种的疫苗不同，根据不同的厂家接种的针数也不相同，移民体检医生需要确认申请人已经完全接种疫苗。
与其他常规所需疫苗不同的是，新冠疫苗必须是完全接种（Pfizer , Moderna打2针，强生是1针）。
豁免或要求豁免接种疫苗
从 2021年10月1日起，移民局（USCIS）和国务院（DOS）将要求所有难民或绿卡的申请者接种新冠疫苗，但有一些例外。
具体而言，所有在 2021 年 10 月 1 日或之后做移民体检(I-693)的申请人都必须向医生提供新冠疫苗接种证明文件，指定的移民体检的医生需要审查该文件来确定申请人是否完全接种。
如果移民体检在 2021 年 10 月 1 日之前完成，并且仍然有效，则不需要接种新冠疫苗。移民局将会在近期发布新的I-693，移民体检表格。
另外，需要说明的是，体检报告会因为申请人在申请绿卡时，人是在美国境外或是美国境内，而分别由国务院指定的Panel Phyisicans，或是美国移民局认定的Civil Surgeons来完成。
当外国公民在美国境外递交移民签证申请的时候，必须要到国务院指定的Panel Phyisicans完成体检。
当外国公民在美国境内向移民局递交绿卡申请的时候，则必须透过美国移民局认定的Civil Surgeons来完成体检报告， Panel Phyisicans提供的体检报告，只有在特定情况才能被美国移民局受理。
Civil Surgeons的体检无法在境外申请移民签证时使用。
有别于在美国境内申请的绿卡申请人容易接种到新冠疫苗，由于各个国家能取得的新冠疫苗种类都不一样，CDC规定只要申请人接种属于「核准的新冠疫苗」 ( “ approved COVID-19 vaccines ” )就可以了。
但「核准的新冠疫苗」只限于获得美国FDA以及WHO紧急授权的疫苗。
CDC的通知中要求，如果申请人进行体检的国家可以取得「核准的新冠疫苗」，申请人必须完成所有疫苗接种的流程，并提供接种证明给Panel Phyisicans，才能完成体检报告。
与境内绿卡申请人一样，如果申请人符合以下条件，可以豁免或要求豁免接种疫苗 :
1. 申请人的年纪未达到允许施打疫苗的要求；
2. 申请人的情况符合施打的禁忌；
3. 新冠疫苗在申请人所在的地方无法经常取得。
另外如果申请人因为宗教(religious)或是道德(moral)冲突，或是医疗上的原因，可以要求不用打疫苗。
根据美国联邦法律，申请绿卡的外国人还必须接种其它疾病疫苗，包括腮腺炎、麻疹、风疹、乙型肝炎、脊髓灰质炎和百日咳的疫苗。
Green Card Applicants Must Receive the COVID-19 Vaccine
By Cozen O’Connor
9/01/2021
On August 24, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a new policy that will require foreign nationals applying for a U.S. permanent resident card (green card) to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Beginning on October 1, 2021, all green card applicants must submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination as part of their Form I-693 medical examinations. Any individual who refuses to be vaccinated, and does not qualify for any of the agency’s limited exemptions, will be marked as inadmissible to the United States. CDC guidance allows for medical and religious exemptions for children and people living in areas without wide vaccine distribution, but vaccine refusal without an adequate reason would be grounds for inadmissibility.
Green card applicants may use an official vaccination record or a copy of a medical chart noting they were vaccinated against COVID-19 as proof of vaccination. The CDC reported that the United States will not accept self-reported vaccine doses without written documentation by a doctor or “other appropriate medical personnel.” A negative COVID-19 test is not sufficient to prove an immigrant does not pose a public risk of spreading the disease. Individuals must be vaccinated with either the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The CDC will also accept different COVID-19 vaccines as they are recommended by its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
The CDC now classifies COVID-19 as a “Class A inadmissible condition,” and failure to vaccinate against a vaccine-preventable disease would render a person ineligible for a visa. The COVID-19 vaccine requirement is added to a list of pre-existing requirements that green card applicants be vaccinated to prevent other diseases, including mumps, measles, rubella, hepatitis A and B, tuberculosis, syphilis, tetanus, polio, measles, influenza, and nearly a dozen other diseases. The CDC states it will waive the new COVID-19 vaccine requirement for individuals too young to safely receive a vaccine and for people with contraindications, such as any health conditions that indicate someone is likely to have a severe adverse reaction to the vaccine. The requirement will also be waived for individuals in countries with no or limited available COVID-19 vaccine supplies. Applicants who refuse the vaccine on religious or moral grounds may request an exemption from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The CDC added that it will not waive the vaccine requirement for those who prove they contracted COVID-19 and are still immune to the virus.
This new guidance only applies to immigrants inside the United States seeking adjustment of status, rather than immigrants who apply for their green cards at the U.S. consulate in their home country abroad.
