KanaKoa

Ok, thanks Mike81. Recently, President Marcos lifted the Covid restrictions in the Philippines. Also, the visa agency that my fiance and I are working with informed us that the vaccine is not required anymore for the K1 visa. I asked someone who recently did an interview at the embassy in Manila, and they confirmed that the vaccine is not necessary.

Hello, So, my understanding, back in May 2023, the US lifted the Covid vaccine requirement for all non-immigrant international travelers to the U.S. Based on what the CDC is saying, all K1 visa applicants are not required to get the Covid vaccine, right? It's only for the adjustment of status, correct? That's based on what I'm reading at this site: Vaccination Technical Instructions for Panel Physicians | CDC And yet, the USCIS is saying that all immigrant visa applicants require the Covid vaccine at their site: Vaccination Requirements | USCIS In spite the fact that USCIS also says, "CDC is responsible for publishing the Technical Instructions for Civil Surgeons. These documents and the HHS regulations set the requirements for the immigration medical examination and are binding on civil surgeons (See the CDC Vaccination Technical Instructions for Civil Surgeons and 42 C.F.R. Section 34.3). The Technical Instructions include a vaccination component, specifying how the civil surgeon has to conduct the vaccination assessment." And also, the K1 visa is supposedly considered a non-immigrant visa, according to the U.S. Department of State: Nonimmigrant Visa for a Fianc(é)e (K-1) (state.gov) So, can someone please help me make sense of these conflicting rules? How is it fair for U.S. embassies in other countries to require the Covid vaccine at the embassy interview, despite there being these inconsistencies in the law? Under what authority are they able to require K1 visa applicants to have the vaccine? Thanks, Sean

Thank you for the information. milimelo, can the waiver be approved before my fiance has her interview at the embasy?

Thank you, but what I'm hearing is that at the hospital in Manila, they are very strict about the vaccine requirement, and they have denied waivers for the religious exemption if someone has received vaccines in the past. I believe my fiance has received vaccines in the past. The Philippines is so oppressive when it comes to the Covid vaccine.

Thanks milimelo. I understand that the religious exemption is not going to work, but maybe a medical one if I can find a doctor who supports my fiance not getting the vaccine.

Aloha, My fiance, who lives in the Philippines, and I are still waiting for our K1 visa application to be processed (NOA 1 received December 20, 2022). I was told that her medical exam would require her to be vaccinated against Covid. We've been trying very hard to avoid ourselves to get the vaccine, especially when it came to meeting for the first time in Thailand once they lifted the restrictions in that country. It would suck if they still required the vaccine for the medical exam. It also doesn't make any sense, considering the US just lifted the vaccine restriction for entry for international travel. So, does anyone have any idea when they will lift that rule for the medical exam? Is there a way to get around it, other than trying for a religious exemption or health exemption? Or is there a way to get our elected representatives to really push for changing the vaccine requirement? Any insights would be appreciated. Thanks, Kana