Main | Monday, April 20, 2009

Poz Brits Still Blocked From Entering U.S.

The Terrance Higgins Trust, England's largest HIV charity, is claiming that HIV-positive Brits are still being turned away at United States border control checkpoints even though they have filled out a special online waiver form.
People living with HIV are still being refused entry to the US, despite government plans to change legislation, it has been claimed. According to the Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), those with HIV who want to travel to the US must attend an interview at the American Embassy in London before they can travel legally. A new online visa waiver system was set up recently, but those who have HIV must still have a special visa. Currently, people with HIV are permanently excluded from the United States except in exceptional circumstances. Following new legislation last year, the HIV entry ban is no longer law, but remains an administrative decision to be ruled on by the Department for Health and Human Services. THT states it has received calls from people who used the online visa system and believed they were permitted to travel but were turned away at US border controls, incurring substantial travel expenses.
The charity advises HIV-positive travelers not to attempt to visit the U.S. without the special waiver visa, which must be applied for in person at the American embassy. If they do so and then disclose their status on the required entry form, they will be deported and possibly banned from returning.

In other words, the new online system is worthless. When will this idiocy finally end?

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