Vaccination Requirement Waiver

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

The standard K1 thought is that the series must be started abroad and can be completeed before AOS. It is usually cheaper to get them in your country.

[hkl 9]

Wow. I'm really surprised about the number of hostile responses. Thanks a lot to everyone. I am out of here. Really depressing hearing all the nationalistic opinions.

By the way family reunification is a legal right in most democratic countries not just a privilege. And it still remains a human right everywhere else.

[Moomin 292]

Wow. I'm really surprised about the number of hostile responses. Thanks a lot to everyone. I am out of here. Really depressing hearing all the nationalistic opinions.

By the way family reunification is a legal right in most democratic countries not just a privilege. And it still remains a human right everywhere else.

I'm Danish and will never apply for US citizenship - just to put things into perspective. Depressing? You asked a question and you're in for a long journey, adding months to the process by submitting a waiver while there is a slight chance of it being approved. If you reckon it's worth it, of course go ahead and give it your best. Nobody is forcing you to get vaccinations you don't want. However, none of us will advise you to go ahead and do anything without thinking about the outcome of your choice. Not because of nationalistic opinions but because of the immigration process in general. Nobody here are being racists because we advise to be extra careful when going through high fraud countries either. It's a matter of preparing ourselves for a less stressful journey.

While it might be a legal right in some countries, there are still requirements as an immigrant for each country and they vary depending on the country. For the same reasons there are requirements as a US citizen to even bring a loved one there.

Edited September 16, 2012 by moomin

[QueenE 174]

I don't want to start here a discussion about the medical advantages or detriments of vaccinations. There are better places to discuss that (i.e. www.mercola.com). However one basic fact about vaccination seems to be misunderstood here by few posters claiming the requirement is to protect United States citizens from infectious deseases. If a foreign citizen caries an infection with her/him the vaccination will not heal that desease, it would be too late for that. Vaccination only protects during the time after not before. So if the person enters US after the vaccination those vaccines can only protect her/him from getting infected by US citizens.

The worst part with this requirement regardless if good or bad is that it chips on ones personal rights. It trains future US citizens to give up their rights right at the very begin by harassing them with lengthy processing times if they try execute their rights.

Oh your kidding me... If its important to you, you guys can just settle in your fiance's country. So you dont have to feel harassed or giving up of your rights. In case you miss it we all give up alot"rights" so yes the sense of entitlement should be dealt with from the get go. (You pay taxes, carry car insurance, have to have a license to drive, cant have some animals as pets, searched at the airport, etc). Although all these things that are listed can be very harassing we have to comply, or I guess when my drivers license expires and I get pulled over I will tell the officer that I find the process of having to take an exam and pay for it to be harassing and I feel I have the right to drive without a license.

[bigdog 376]

Either get-um or stay home, good luck. These are all main stream for USA.

[david'sgirl 134]

My hubby was unable to secure vaccine waiver for a valid medical reason so I find it doubtful you will get one based on principles and belief.

To o/p whether you believe so or not the visa and being allowed to live in the US as a permanent resident is a privilege not a right.

Just an observation but has anyone else noticed that whenever there is a topic that gets people all hot under the collar it seems to be by a newbie with no information on the profile and no other topics? I am beginning to wonder if some people are joining for the sole reason of being sh#t stirrers. Just sayin....

[QueenE 174]

My hubby was unable to secure vaccine waiver for a valid medical reason so I find it doubtful you will get one based on principles and belief.

To o/p whether you believe so or not the visa and being allowed to live in the US as a permanent resident is a privilege not a right.

Just an observation but has anyone else noticed that whenever there is a topic that gets people all hot under the collar it seems to be by a newbie with no information on the profile and no other topics? I am beginning to wonder if some people are joining for the sole reason of being sh#t stirrers. Just sayin....

True people do that on the pregnancy forum im in, they will post the most outrageous topics that gets already hormonal women hot and bother, we we realize oh profile is only 1 day old

[del-2-5-2014 1,339]

My hubby was unable to secure vaccine waiver for a valid medical reason so I find it doubtful you will get one based on principles and belief.

To o/p whether you believe so or not the visa and being allowed to live in the US as a permanent resident is a privilege not a right.

Just an observation but has anyone else noticed that whenever there is a topic that gets people all hot under the collar it seems to be by a newbie with no information on the profile and no other topics? I am beginning to wonder if some people are joining for the sole reason of being sh#t stirrers. Just sayin....

We were all newbies at some point and I don't think the poster was stirring the pot, just clueless about the process.

I think the problem is that majority of USC do not understand how immigration works until they start to try to petition.

[Mogambi 96]

Does anyone else find it mildly offensive that the OP is making the decision FOR his fiancé that vacinnations are hamful and saying they can't have them? Maybe his/her fiancé would WELCOME being vaccinated against these things.

And personally, I'm pretty happy that because of vaccinations, I don't have to worry much about getting Smallpox, Polio, Measles, Mumps, etc. To each their own.

But maybe this isn't YOUR decision to make, but your Fiancé's?

[GlobeHopperMama 95]

Vaccine waivers are possible. If you visit Immigrate2us.net, you will find that at least two posters there who applied for them were approved. Vaccines are waived via the I-601 waiver, the same waiver that is used by people who have inadmissiblities due to prior immigration violations, criminal complications, etc. Honestly, the waiver is a massive undertaking and you have to be extremely convicted in your reasons for refusing the vaccines and ready to do a whole ton of work to submit the waiver, not to mention wait out the adjudication time. Fortunately, now that I-601s go to a centralized Lockbox in the US, adjudication times have come down a lot, but I've also not seen a vaccine waiver go through the Lockbox, only London I think, so it's possible the Lockbox will regard vaccine waivers much differently than consulates/London did in the past. I believe both approved vaccine waivers I saw were done on philosophical and possibly religious grounds.

Legalities aside, here's my personal take, as a person who has medical and philosophical oppositions to vaccines but had to go ahead and watch my husband be vaccinated by immigration 4 yrs ago despite the fact that he wasn't even eligible for the visa itself on other grounds, and who will probably watch it all happen again in a month.

1) My husband is the one getting vaccinated, not me. He's fine with my stance on vaccination (which is why our son's vaccines have been limited and far apart). But he doesn't personally care much himself, as someone who grew up in the mainstream medical establishment as the son of a doctor and a nurse. There are so many other issues to hash out in our marriage, and as long as we've been able to come to a compromise on our children's vaccines, that's really the only important thing IMO.

2) Immigration is such a "jump through the hoops" thing. We have a lot more to fight than vaccines, so I know that makes a difference, but I honestly feel like we just have to prostitute ourselves to this process if we want that visa in the end. We do so many things that we find ridiculous, but it's all part of the requirement for our spouse/fiance to have a shot at something that most of the world's population doesn't have an opportunity to do. Someday, when your fiance is in the US with a green card or preferably citizenship, if the immigration vaccine requirement is still a big issue to you (and honestly, sometimes it still gets me riled up, 4 years after we initially went through it), you can work for legislative change that makes it easier to exempt onesself from the vaccines on whatever grounds. But for now, I really suggest just letting your fiance float through the process the best you can without fighting too hard. Good luck!

[islandgal 74]

I don't want to start here a discussion about the medical advantages or detriments of vaccinations. There are better places to discuss that (i.e. www.mercola.com). However one basic fact about vaccination seems to be misunderstood here by few posters claiming the requirement is to protect United States citizens from infectious deseases. If a foreign citizen caries an infection with her/him the vaccination will not heal that desease, it would be too late for that. Vaccination only protects during the time after not before. So if the person enters US after the vaccination those vaccines can only protect her/him from getting infected by US citizens.

The worst part with this requirement regardless if good or bad is that it chips on ones personal rights. It trains future US citizens to give up their rights right at the very begin by harassing them with lengthy processing times if they try execute their rights.

Apply for the waiver, wait a few extra months or years for a response and be done with it... Don't listen to what anyone here tells you.

[AmyWrites 593]

Stop listening to Jenny McArthy and quacks. Also, if it's such a big deal for you, move to her country, it's not a RIGHT to bring any family member you wish to the US.

[Mike B. 231]

Does anyone else find it mildly offensive that the OP is making the decision FOR his fiancé that vacinnations are hamful and saying they can't have them? Maybe his/her fiancé would WELCOME being vaccinated against these things.

And personally, I'm pretty happy that because of vaccinations, I don't have to worry much about getting Smallpox, Polio, Measles, Mumps, etc. To each their own.

But maybe this isn't YOUR decision to make, but your Fiancé's?

Yep. When scented candles, acupuncture, and all that mumbo jumbo eradicate a disease that has literally killed a billion people, then I'll pay attention. Until then, get your damn vaccination.

[EM_Vandaveer 2,408]

To the person who said that kids have to have vaccinations to go to school: in all but 2 states you can get a waiver on religious grounds, and in many states also on philosophical grounds. (And it that 2 states on medical grounds.)

You won't even know if the kid sitting next to yours was vaccinated or not, because the information about other people's waivers is sensitive information, so they won't tell you....

And by the way: I am FOR vaxing, this is just FYI.

[Que Saudade 284]

Wow. I'm really surprised about the number of hostile responses. Thanks a lot to everyone. I am out of here. Really depressing hearing all the nationalistic opinions.

By the way family reunification is a legal right in most democratic countries not just a privilege. And it still remains a human right everywhere else.

I think calling the responses hostile is a bit of an over reaction stemming from you not getting the answers you thought your post was going to elicit. I haven't perceived any comments as hostile as I read through them, rather they are just comments regarding the requirements that are fairly rigid. The old saying, "it is what it is" sort of pertains to this. (at least until someone or something gets some laws revised) Until that time, we have to trod through the endless murk and mire of the bureaucratically ladened immigration process. Is the system flawed? Everyone who has responded here will attest to that fact. However, it is better than nothing.

I need clarification on your thought process regarding "family reunification is a legal right in most democratic countries". Personally, my interpretation of family reunification is that you have the "legal right" to petition for your family to immigrate. Not the "right" for that person to immigrate. If it were a "legal right" then there would be no need for immigration except to check and make sure that you are family. Our borders would be wide open for anyone to enter based on those premises.

The US is not by any means the only country in the democratic status that has certain mandates required by law.

As one response pointed out, you indeed have the option to file a waiver. Then you don't compromise your "beliefs".

Here is the link for the I-601 http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=bb515f56ff55d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

The fee is $585.00

By all means, if you feel this strongly about it, then the option to file the waiver is absolutely for you.

Just remember this, this is a public forum. When a thread is started, the range of comments are varied. They are from people with different backgrounds, different religious beliefs, going through different stages of immigration as well as different immigration processes, different ages, and different political views. Some comments will be legalistic (based on factual data and law) and straight to the point, some will be sympathetic, some will make no sense at all, but, this is the hodgepodge that makes VJ a very unique forum. No one here is attacking you personally.

Good luck with your decisions, I am sure you will make the best one for your family.

I think the problem is that majority of USC do not understand how immigration works until they start to try to petition.

Gowon, you hit the nail on the head with this one. I can include myself in that category. When I started this process several years ago, I remember how I couldn't believe that trying to do something legally in America was so difficult and seemed so unfair. I was completely overwhelmed with the amount of red tape and paperwork needed. I was lucky enough to have a straight shooting member that challenged me to study the process intently and logically, to try and keep the emotions aside (tough I know). It has been the best advice I received here on VJ.