New U.S. travel rules close door on those fully vaccinated with Russia’s Sputnik V

[millefleur 5,046]

Quote

 

The United States announced last week that it would soon open its doors to foreign travelers vaccinated against the coronavirus, loosening restrictions for broad swaths of global visitors for the first time since the pandemic began.

 

But the new rules, set to take effect in November, appear to also shut out many people who consider themselves to be fully immunized — including millions who have received two doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine.

 

Hundreds of thousands of Russians could be directly affected. Despite frosty diplomatic relations and limited demand for international travel, roughly 300,000 Russians visited the United States in 2019, the last year for which figures are available, according to the U.S. Travel Association.

 

Read more here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/new-us-travel-rules-close-door-on-those-fully-vaccinated-with-russia-e2-80-99s-sputnik-v/ar-AAORVex

[slavaskii 886]

22 hours ago, millefleur said:

Read more here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/new-us-travel-rules-close-door-on-those-fully-vaccinated-with-russia-e2-80-99s-sputnik-v/ar-AAORVex

For those in Russia/Belarus/Kazakhstan, I encourage you to look at Vinskyy forum, specifically, the thread about finding vaccines in Europe. Certain countries are now offering them to tourists, including the lucrative Janssen shot which means you don’t have to return for a second dose. Is the trip expensive? Yes, but the door isn’t entirely closed. 
 

This is, of course, assuming one has a Schengen Visa, which is itself not an easy process given COVID now. 
 

PS: The countries offering them appear to be Croatia, Germany, Austria, France, and the Netherlands. However, some of them will *not* give Janssen to those under 55, and sometimes the clinics will not give out the vaccine universally. I therefore recommend Croatia, where my fiancée was vaccinated.

[millefleur 5,046]

43 minutes ago, slavaskii said:

PS: The countries offering them appear to be Croatia, Germany, Austria, France, and the Netherlands. However, some of them will *not* give Janssen to those under 55, and sometimes the clinics will not give out the vaccine universally. I therefore recommend Croatia, where my fiancée was vaccinated.

Really good to know, thanks!

[slavaskii 886]

1 minute ago, millefleur said:

Really good to know, thanks!

Of course! Feel free to message me direct if you need to know more. I'll include the information below as if you use forum Vinskyy, everything's in Russian, and the process might not be clear for someone who doesn't speak it. 

 

Basically, we decided to pursue the vaccine in Europe once it became clear that the US would mandate it on flights and Sputnik would *not* be allowed. Belarus also has Sinovac, but interestingly enough, another poster here just wrote today saying it probably won't be allowed either (despite being WHO-approved). There's lots of misinformation right now about what countries are offering vaccines to tourists so you need to be very careful. We were told Serbia and Dubai many times, but a quick search shows they discontinued the program months ago.

 

While googling in English gave nothing helpful, googling in Russian immediately revealed a bunch of pages talking about what countries in the EU were giving out shots. Many of them had quarantine restrictions, but Croatia, weirdly, did not so long as you were a tourist (i.e., had a hotel reservation somewhere). Googling more, I found forum Vinskyy, in which people were discussing flying from Russia to various countries and hunting a shot. It seemed like Croatia was promising, and after confirming on the Croatian Health Ministry's website that non-residents are eligible for shots, I booked my fiancee a ticket for Zagreb the following week. It is very expensive considering the Belarus flight ban, but it's comparable overall to the price of having to do medical in the US during AoS. So basically, better to get it done now.

 

Within two hours of landing in Zagreb, she had already gotten Janssen and returned to the hotel to relax. She explored the city for the remainder of her time (it's actually a really cool little place!) and returned to Minsk via Istanbul without problems. There were many different people at the clinic; Ukrainians, Russians, British, etc. They had many vaccines available and, after issuing her a certificate in English, Croatian, French, and German, told her to email them after 14 days to receive a QR code for the EU Digital Covid Certificate. 

 

Note that Croatia is in the EU but not Schengen, which is why I presume it's allowed to have these weird (but helpful) entry requirements. To get in, you either need a Croatian visa, or any C/D type visa issued by a Schengen member.

[Cherie123 8]

What happens if beneficiary has already had the Sputnik vaccine and is pregnant and is at the NVC stage waiting for interview? Can the  spouse still come to the US and quarantine?  

[millefleur 5,046]

1 hour ago, Cherie123 said:

What happens if beneficiary has already had the Sputnik vaccine and is pregnant and is at the NVC stage waiting for interview? Can the  spouse still come to the US and quarantine?  

The new rules haven't gone into affect yet, so I think she can still enter without issue. I would hope that the medical examiner once you get to the interview stage can help clarify any questions.

Edited October 11, 2021 by millefleur

[Cherie123 8]

She can not come to the US yet. Spousal visa not approved yet and not expected to get interview scheduled until early 2022. The law will be In effect then. She can’t get a different vaccine after already getting Sputnik. I wish someone knew how this will affect her immigration.

[millefleur 5,046]

12 minutes ago, Cherie123 said:

She can not come to the US yet. Spousal visa not approved yet and not expected to get interview scheduled until early 2022. The law will be In effect then. She can’t get a different vaccine after already getting Sputnik. I wish someone knew how this will affect her immigration.

I just saw this on the USCIS site:

https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/covid-19-vaccination-required-for-immigration-medical-examinations

 

USCIS may grant blanket waivers if the COVID-19 vaccine is:

• Not age-appropriate;
• Contraindicated due to a medical condition;
• Not routinely available where the civil surgeon practices; or
• Limited in supply and would cause significant delay for the applicant to receive the vaccination.

Maybe that last point, "limited supply" could apply for Russia? Or the fact that she's already been vaccinated and therefore is unable to get a vaccination? The whole thing seems a bit insane otherwise to just essentially ban people because they have the "wrong" vaccination.

[slavaskii 886]

22 hours ago, millefleur said:

I just saw this on the USCIS site:

https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/covid-19-vaccination-required-for-immigration-medical-examinations

 

USCIS may grant blanket waivers if the COVID-19 vaccine is:

• Not age-appropriate;
• Contraindicated due to a medical condition;
• Not routinely available where the civil surgeon practices; or
• Limited in supply and would cause significant delay for the applicant to receive the vaccination.

Maybe that last point, "limited supply" could apply for Russia? Or the fact that she's already been vaccinated and therefore is unable to get a vaccination? The whole thing seems a bit insane otherwise to just essentially ban people because they have the "wrong" vaccination.

I was thinking that the "not routinely available" would be most appropriate to Russia because they don't recognize anything besides Sputnik, not even Sinopharm/Sinovac. I'm not sure if the pregnancy would allow OP's spouse to qualify for the medical condition exemption, or the fact she's already had Sputnik and combining it with another is questionable. If OP is asking about Sputnik's use in medical, I don't think there'd be any problems because even if it isn't recognized, the blanket waivers should cover it for Russia. But if OP's question is how she can fly to the US without a vaccine, that I don't think anyone knows quite yet, and it wouldn't be USCIS giving a waiver for that. 

 

I've been trying to look to how the Canadians implemented their vaccine mandates to see how we might follow.

[millefleur 5,046]

It seems like the WHO might eventually recognize Sputnik V?

 

Quote

 

WHO says approval for Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine ‘still on hold’

Russia’s Sputnik V COVID vaccine on hold pending missing data and legal procedures, UN body says.

The World Health Organization has said the Emergency Use Listing process for Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine was on hold pending some missing data and legal procedures, which the UN body hopes will be “sorted out quite soon”.

 

“We are working almost on a daily basis with the ministry of health in Russia to address the remaining issues to be fulfilled by the Russian Direct Investment Fund,” Mariangela Simao, WHO assistant director-general for access to medicines and health products, said on Wednesday.

 

Read more here: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/13/who-says-approval-for-russias-sputnik-v-vaccine-still-on-hold/

[millefleur 5,046]

Things seem to be turning in the right direction:

 

Quote

 

WHO says it continues to assess Russia's Sputnik V vaccine

MOSCOW, Oct 20 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) is still assessing the Russia-designed Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, according to an update on the WHO's website on Wednesday.

 

"As with other candidate vaccines, WHO continues to assess Sputnik V vaccines from different manufacturing sites and will publish decisions on their EUL (Emergency Use Listing) status when all the data are available and the review is concluded," WHO said in emailed comments to Reuters.

 

It said it has restarted the assessment process for the Russian vaccine and that it is awaiting the "completion of rolling submission."

 

...

 

Separately, Kirill Dmitriev, the RDIF head, told CNN he expected the WHO to approve Sputnik V in coming months, RIA news agency reported.

 

 

Read more here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/who-says-it-continues-to-assess-russias-sputnik-v-vaccine/ar-AAPLidu

[navypilot29 16]

According to the CDC website, the Presidential proclamation does not apply to immigrants.  If the physician lists that the vaccine is not routinely available, the spouse should be able to freely travel to the US with the required negative COVID 19 test.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/proof-of-vaccination.html

[ryvfader 45]

14 hours ago, navypilot29 said:

According to the CDC website, the Presidential proclamation does not apply to immigrants.  If the physician lists that the vaccine is not routinely available, the spouse should be able to freely travel to the US with the required negative COVID 19 test.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/proof-of-vaccination.html

Does anyone know if this will also apply with the K1 visas since it sits in a grey Non-Immigrant but Immigrant visa?

[ZRomper 42]

On 10/10/2021 at 6:49 PM, slavaskii said:

Of course! Feel free to message me direct if you need to know more. I'll include the information below as if you use forum Vinskyy, everything's in Russian, and the process might not be clear for someone who doesn't speak it. 

 

Basically, we decided to pursue the vaccine in Europe once it became clear that the US would mandate it on flights and Sputnik would *not* be allowed. Belarus also has Sinovac, but interestingly enough, another poster here just wrote today saying it probably won't be allowed either (despite being WHO-approved). There's lots of misinformation right now about what countries are offering vaccines to tourists so you need to be very careful. We were told Serbia and Dubai many times, but a quick search shows they discontinued the program months ago.

 

While googling in English gave nothing helpful, googling in Russian immediately revealed a bunch of pages talking about what countries in the EU were giving out shots. Many of them had quarantine restrictions, but Croatia, weirdly, did not so long as you were a tourist (i.e., had a hotel reservation somewhere). Googling more, I found forum Vinskyy, in which people were discussing flying from Russia to various countries and hunting a shot. It seemed like Croatia was promising, and after confirming on the Croatian Health Ministry's website that non-residents are eligible for shots, I booked my fiancee a ticket for Zagreb the following week. It is very expensive considering the Belarus flight ban, but it's comparable overall to the price of having to do medical in the US during AoS. So basically, better to get it done now.

 

Within two hours of landing in Zagreb, she had already gotten Janssen and returned to the hotel to relax. She explored the city for the remainder of her time (it's actually a really cool little place!) and returned to Minsk via Istanbul without problems. There were many different people at the clinic; Ukrainians, Russians, British, etc. They had many vaccines available and, after issuing her a certificate in English, Croatian, French, and German, told her to email them after 14 days to receive a QR code for the EU Digital Covid Certificate. 

 

Note that Croatia is in the EU but not Schengen, which is why I presume it's allowed to have these weird (but helpful) entry requirements. To get in, you either need a Croatian visa, or any C/D type visa issued by a Schengen member.

Dear Slavaskii,

 

My wife's stuck in a very similar situation. I'm living in Belarus atm with her and our 2 kids. Filed I-130 in June.

 

We were looking at different options about possible vaccination routes. Poland is extremely hard to get into right now especially with the current crisis at the border.

The only way she can get a visa into Poland is either by having Karta Polaka (proof of belonging to Polish nationality), Work visa (someone must invite her for something work related, but this wouldn't cover my daughter), humanitarian visa (easy to get, but once you get it, Belarusians might or might not let you return to Belarus). There are no travel visas issues ATM.

 

We were thinking of Dubai, as she mentioned they were giving vaccines to non-nationals, but they don't now.

 

How did your fiancée travel to Zagreb? Isn't a Shengen visa required for Croatia? What about vaccination to enter the country? For example Lithuania offers EU and US accepted vaccines, but you must be vaccinated in order to enter the country, so it's a dead end.

[slavaskii 886]

2 hours ago, ZRomper said:

Dear Slavaskii,

 

My wife's stuck in a very similar situation. I'm living in Belarus atm with her and our 2 kids. Filed I-130 in June.

 

We were looking at different options about possible vaccination routes. Poland is extremely hard to get into right now especially with the current crisis at the border.

The only way she can get a visa into Poland is either by having Karta Polaka (proof of belonging to Polish nationality), Work visa (someone must invite her for something work related, but this wouldn't cover my daughter), humanitarian visa (easy to get, but once you get it, Belarusians might or might not let you return to Belarus). There are no travel visas issues ATM.

 

We were thinking of Dubai, as she mentioned they were giving vaccines to non-nationals, but they don't now.

 

How did your fiancée travel to Zagreb? Isn't a Shengen visa required for Croatia? What about vaccination to enter the country? For example Lithuania offers EU and US accepted vaccines, but you must be vaccinated in order to enter the country, so it's a dead end.

Hello! I apologize sincerely to hear of your case. My fiancee has both a Karta Polaka and a Schengen Visa issued from Poland, the latter of which was accepted for Croatia. I understand that Poland has shut down most visa services and the border is effectively closed for the foreseeable future. Your fiancee's only way out, similar to mine, will be flying from Minsk to a third country (likely Istanbul) and then to somewhere else. Poland *will* let you in without a vaccine, so long as you quarantine for 10 days, but she still needs a visa and an invitation letter from the US Embassy is insufficient. 

 

I think you have two problems here: 1) getting the vaccine and 2) getting to Warsaw for the interview. For the vaccine, Dubai was giving it, but I'm almost positive this is no longer the case. my thoughts to you is to google, in Russian, 'vaccine tour agencies' and see what comes up. That's how I discovered Croatia; there was literally nothing in English that helped. Also look up форум винского, they're very helpful on there as well. They confirmed the specific place in Zagreb that would give the vaccine, but there were many others trying different routes, granted most of them were within Europe.

 

For your second problem, getting to Warsaw specifically, you're definitely going to need *some* Schengen Zone visa, even if it's not a Polish one. Are there any Schengen member embassies in Minsk currently processing tourist visas? You can always, say, get a Greek one for vacation purposes, spend some time there, and then fly to Poland for the interview. Granted it's a huge pain, but better than the humanitarian visa and risking everything I guess.

 

If I was you I'd focus on getting a visa first, as that would also solve your problems with the vaccine. But again, I'm fairly certain Dubai stopped vaccinating and the people perpetuating that rumor have bad information from April. 

 

Edit: Also Croatia did not require a vaccine or quarantine for entry. If you can somehow secure a Croatian visa (or one of the Schengen states), you will be fine. However, do note that because Croatia itself is not a Schengen Zone country, I don't believe you can actually continue on to Poland from Croatia with a Croatian visa.

Edited November 15, 2021 by slavaskii