People living with HIV can now gain a US visa
January 04 2010 by Liam Clifford
The US government has lifted a ban on people with HIV gaining a US visa and moving to the country.
The ban has been in
place for 22 years and has been removed by President
Obama, who says the ban
was not compatible with his plans to be a leader in
the fight against the
disease.
The lifting of the ban also comes in advance of the country’s
plans to host a bi-annual HIV/AIDS summit from 2012 onwards. Experts claims the
change in attitudes to people with the condition has come about as a result of
better education about the disease and the treatments available drastically
improving sufferers' survival rates.
The US was among 12 countries that
still had a ban on HIV sufferers being awarded visas. Now, anyone with the
condition will be able to live and work in the US providing they meet the other
conditions allowing someone to gain a US visa.
Rachel Tiven of US
Immigration Equality welcomed the move but said it was long overdue: "The 2012
World Aids Conference, due to be held in the United States, was in jeopardy as a
result of the restrictions. It's now likely to go ahead as planned.”
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