How Does Vaccination Status Impact Your Travel to the U.S.?

In the past two years, the globe has witnessed the deadly pandemic most commonly known as Covid-19. Similarly, according to World Health Organization, there have been 83,987,071 confirmed cases of COVID-19, resulting in 999,343 fatalities in the U.S.

The variants of Covid-19 also have caused surges throughout the years, which further lead toward fully imposed lockdowns and strict restrictions. To contain the covid-19 cases coming from outside the U.S., it was observed that stringent travel policies were implemented.

In the current scenario, the primary concern is vaccination status, if you are planning to the visit the United States. Similarly, if you are not vaccinated yet, it might negatively impact your travel to the U.S. because unvaccinated individuals from around the world are not allowed to enter the U.S.

But right now, the question is, how does vaccination status impact one’s travel to the U.S? In this blog, we will also discuss the latest covid-19 restrictions for travelers and U.S. citizens.

Therefore, we strongly recommend that if you plan to travel to the U.S., you must be appropriately vaccinated with FDA-approved vaccinations. Afterwards, before boarding the plane, you must have proper documentation supporting your vaccination, which may be provided to the concerned authorities.

Keeping in mind the following recommendations, the applicants must keep themselves vaccinated. The air-travel restriction policies have also been explained below.

• Air Travel Policy for Travelers

Similarly, travel bans and strict policies have been announced in the past two years to prevent another rise in cases. Whereas, in similar regard, the Biden administration has announced a new international travel policy that directs the foreign travelers to be fully vaccinated.

In addition to being vaccinated, the travelers are also required to provide valid proof of their vaccination; an immunisation certificate.

• Approved Vaccinations

The travelers must be vaccinated appropriately to be allowed to enter the U.S., whereas the FDA has also provided a list of vaccines that are only accepted upon entering.

The following vaccines are accepted:

• Janssen/J&J
• Comirnaty (Pfizer-BioNTech)
• Spikevax (Moderna)
• Convidecia (CanSinoBIO)
• Comirnaty (Pfizer-BioNTech)
• Spikevax (Moderna)
• Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca)
• Covaxin
• Covishield
• BIBP/Sinopharm
• CoronaVac (Sinovac)
• Nuvaxovid (Novavax)
• Covovax

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has concluded that vaccinations having an emergency use listing (EUL) from the World Health Organization (WHO) will be recognized for entrance into the United States.

• Requisites for Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination for Air Travelers

The following non-U.S. citizens are required to demonstrate their fully vaccinated status if they are traveling to the U.S.:

• Non-U.S. citizens
• Non-U.S. national
• Non Permanent resident
• Traveling to the United States on an immigrant visa

The following above will have to demonstrate a covid-19 vaccination certificate.

• On the contrary, few categories of non-U.S. citizens are exempt from requiring a covid vaccination certificate.
• The specified individuals may be required to fulfill additional procedures by traveling to the U.S. by air.
• In the current policy shift, all the air travelers of age two and above must demonstrate a negative result of Covid-19 before boarding a flight.
• In the case of the affected patients, the documents that support their recovery from the covid-19 may be presented.

• Immigrants and Other Non-affected Persons

The travel restrictions by the Presidential Proclamation and CDS do not apply to the immigrants as well as the special immigrant visa holders. Following are the restrictions exempt categories:

• Non-U.S. citizens who are eligible asylum seekers;
• Non-U.S. citizens who are eligible for withholding of removal;
• Non-U.S. citizens who are eligible for protection under regulations issued according to the legislation enacting the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment;
• Non-U.S. citizens admitted to the United States as refugees are external icons;
• Persons with a visa 92 or 93 status
• Non-U.S. citizens who have been granted parole into the United States.

Other non-US citizens, such as immigrant visa applicants/holders, refugees, parolees, asylees, and individuals trying to enter the U.S. by land or sea, may be subject to additional COVID-19 vaccination requirements. 

It is recommended that these individuals consult and get familiar with any applicable U.S. entrance criteria.

• Adequate Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination

We have explained the mandatory requirement of the covid-19 vaccination and its certificate. Following are the adequate methods we suggest the air-travelors consider while traveling to the U.S.

The vaccination documents can be provided in:

• Vaccination certificates with QR codes
• Digital passes via Smartphone application
• Printout of COVID-19 vaccination certificates
• Photos of vaccination cards or data

We always keep it our paramount priority to make the readers aware of U.S. immigration and its recent trend. If you have any concerns or complexity you may encounter during your legal proceedings, we, being the experienced immigration attorneys, have the resources and expertise to counter the circumstances.

Specific matters do not bound our practice areas; in fact, we have a grip all over legal immigration matters.