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President Biden Replaces Country-by-Country Pandemic-Related Air Travel Restrictions With Vaccine Requirement

Nov 2, 2021 | Consular Services & Travel

For a complete picture of how this change relates to you, consider attending our webinar led by Managing Partner, Bernie Wolfsdorf, and Partner Avi Friedman on Nov. 18, 2021, at noon Pacific. All are welcome to join. Register here.

Effective November 8, 2021, a new Presidential Proclamation that governs the entry into the United States by air of “noncitizen nonimmigrants” revokes previous country-by-country restrictions applied during the COVID-19 pandemic and replaces them with a vaccination requirement.

The new policy suspends the entry of unvaccinated noncitizen nonimmigrants, except in limited circumstances, and “ensures that the entry of unvaccinated noncitizen nonimmigrants is consistent” with applicable health and safety determinations. These include, when appropriate, requiring that such individuals arrange to become fully vaccinated against COVID-19 upon arrival. Exceptions to the new policy include certain noncitizens with medical, humanitarian, or emergency issues, among other reasons.

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