The United States has expanded its list of National Interest Exceptions (NIEs), that is, people who can enter the country despite travel restrictions imposed to contain the entry of new variants of the coronavirus. .
The new State Department measure, announced Thursday (8), applies to foreigners who are engaged with American citizens, have a possible employer based in the country, accompany minors under specific conditions or work in the aviation sector. .
Currently the bloc works for most non-US citizens who have spent the last 14 days in Brazil, China, Iran, South Africa, UK, Ireland and the 26 European countries in the Schengen area. (free circulation)).
Among the “exchange visitors” are the list of exceptions: caregivers of children with disabilities or with special medical needs and caregivers of minors whose parents are frontline healthcare professionals of Covid-19 or researchers in the field.
Interns and interns in programs sponsored by U.S. government agencies are also eligible.
Specialty professors, with a degree equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree in education or in the academic field in which they intend to teach, may join the U.S. Teachers’ Program, which will exempt them from the ban. Applicants must have at least two years of experience and must “have a sufficient command of the English language”.
Finally, pilots and crew members can enter if they are participating in training programs or to perform an aircraft withdrawal, delivery or maintenance.
Even without restrictions, these people still need a visa and the pandemic has delayed this process around the world. The State Department memo emphasizes that immigrants should check the website of the nearest embassy or consulate “to see what services are available.” We are a family business.
“We cannot provide a specific date for the resumption of services, applicants should monitor the sites for updates on the availability of visa services,” the text read.
President Joe Biden established travel restrictions on January 25 for non-U.S. Passengers arriving in the United States from Brazil and Europe – a measure that had been rescinded by Donald Trump a week earlier – adding Africa South to the list of limitations.
There were already exceptions for diplomatic visas, permanent residents (green card holders), children or spouses of Americans, or for those traveling for humanitarian, public health and national security reasons, for example. .
The restriction has no end date – it depends on a new determination by the president.
The pace of vaccination is accelerating in the United States – on average, about 2.8 million requests are made daily – and the country has already purchased enough doses to immunize up to 400 million people, or 70 million people. more than its population.
Biden doubled his target and pledged to apply 200 million doses in his first 100 days in office. Yet the country has the highest death toll in the world, totaling more than 562,000 people. Last week, the United States recorded 6,785 new deaths and 490,000 cases.