Flying to US with K1 visa and Sputnik vaccine

[aurelius22 15]

1 hour ago, Pearl21 said:

@paramorley thank you very much for such detailed information. you explained a lot, that was very helpful.

hopefully you are right and sputnik will be appproved by WHO.

happy to hear someone from Kyrgyzstan 🙂🙂 good luck with your interview!💙 

You're most welcome! 

 

I will update you on what the consul will tell me about this situation as well. Maybe there are exemptions.

 

Thank you so much for kind wishes. 

[randy32 165]

I would think that there are exceptions for countries that do not have either enough vaccines or the CDC approved ones.

I recommend you look into that.

 

The link below has the answer for vaccines that are not available in a country.

 

https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-8-part-b-chapter-9

Edited January 12, 2022 by randy32

[Pearl21 1]

15 hours ago, randy32 said:

I would think that there are exceptions for countries that do not have either enough vaccines or the CDC approved ones.

I recommend you look into that.

 

The link below has the answer for vaccines that are not available in a country.

 

https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-8-part-b-chapter-9

@randy32thanks for the link. in Kazakhstan we have sinovac available which is in the list of approved vaccines. so the point is not applicable unfortunately, we DO have routinely available vaccines. the problem is they will give me only one shot as REvaccinatinon.

Edited January 13, 2022 by Pearl21

[slavaskii 886]

On 1/12/2022 at 9:42 AM, randy32 said:

I would think that there are exceptions for countries that do not have either enough vaccines or the CDC approved ones.

I recommend you look into that.

 

The link below has the answer for vaccines that are not available in a country.

 

https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-8-part-b-chapter-9

I would caution that we're dealing with two issues here: vaccines for medical and vaccines for flying. You may get a visa without completing medical (for K1, at least), but you still won't be able to board the plane with your waiver. That's a different order that follows different rules right now. Currently, the CDC does have a list of nationalities that are exempt from the flight ban due to vaccine non-availability. Ironically, the list is missing several countries that have said non-availability, and ones that were on the list were banned anyway when Omnicron emerged (since reversed). So TLDR, you can pass K1 w/o the vaccine, but you still will be unable to fly to the US unless you comply with the new order, to which there are no waivers. 

[randy32 165]

12 hours ago, slavaskii said:

I would caution that we're dealing with two issues here: vaccines for medical and vaccines for flying. You may get a visa without completing medical (for K1, at least), but you still won't be able to board the plane with your waiver. That's a different order that follows different rules right now. Currently, the CDC does have a list of nationalities that are exempt from the flight ban due to vaccine non-availability. Ironically, the list is missing several countries that have said non-availability, and ones that were on the list were banned anyway when Omnicron emerged (since reversed). So TLDR, you can pass K1 w/o the vaccine, but you still will be unable to fly to the US unless you comply with the new order, to which there are no waivers. 

Read the link below for travel requirement. Under "Noncitizens, Nonimmigrants (Covered Individuals)".

 

 

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

[powerpuff 6,744]

29 minutes ago, randy32 said:

Read the link below for travel requirement. Under "Noncitizens, Nonimmigrants (Covered Individuals)".

 

 

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

Right. And K1s are NOT on the list for exemptions if you look at it carefully. Covered individuals in this case means the COVID-19 entry requirements APPLY to them, in other words it extends over them. 

[Dora123 0]

My fiancé is in the same boat. 
 

see attached screenshot - this clearly states that if someone is fully vaccinated with a non approved vaccine but cannot get revaccinated due to the country’s laws, they will be exempt. 

[powerpuff 6,744]

10 hours ago, Dora123 said:

My fiancé is in the same boat. 
 

see attached screenshot - this clearly states that if someone is fully vaccinated with a non approved vaccine but cannot get revaccinated due to the country’s laws, they will be exempt. 

Again, there are two distinct processes: one for the medical exam and another for entry requirements. They are separate and unrelated. The above you quoted has to do with the medical exam. Yes, you can be exempt at your medical exam because it’s “not routinely available” but entry requirements are a separate issue, you won’t be let on the flight. 

[Pearl21 1]

13 hours ago, Dora123 said:

My fiancé is in the same boat. 
 

see attached screenshot - this clearly states that if someone is fully vaccinated with a non approved vaccine but cannot get revaccinated due to the country’s laws, they will be exempt. 

that gives some hope!🙌 although it will be difficult to convince airport staff about this aspect, especially in Istanbul. once they see sputnik, they make everyone go back there