Immigration: It Looks Like Merck Wasn't Making Enough from Gardasil . . .

[Turquesa]

. . . that or the corporation didn't successfully lobby enough states to force it into our daughters' veins. Here's a creative way to ensure more profits:

http://www.naturalnews.com/News_0002..._vaccines.html

ETA: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/usc...0045f3d6a1RCRD

[HeatherHeather]

PLEASE tell me there is a religious exemption for immigration...

[CanidFL]

Originally Posted by Turquesa

. . . that or the corporation didn't successfully lobby enough states to force it into our daughters' veins. Here's a creative way to ensure more profits:

http://www.naturalnews.com/News_0002..._vaccines.html

ETA: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/usc...0045f3d6a1RCRD

Oh hell no! That really makes me angry since I am an immigrant.

Guess I have to fork over the $200 for an exemption when I apply for citizenship. Although I already have my green card so maybe they aren’t requiring this for citizenship…..

Rotavirus? I thought you couldn’t get that past 12 weeks old?

Originally Posted by HeatherHeather

PLEASE tell me there is a religious exemption for immigration...

yes there is but unfortunately, I had no idea about it till I found MDC AFTER I immigrated And it costs around $200 to file an exemption as stated above.

[Panthira]

Slightly ot, but what the heck is Zoster?

My DH had to get all of his shots when he came here. We had no idea about exemptions.

[CanidFL]

I think it's the shingles vaccine.

[MsLondon]

Im absolutley flabberghasted they can do this!!! :
They are just doing this as they cannot force adults who were born here into getting vaxed. But they will try and hold as many people to ransom any way they can:
wont vax your kid? cant go to school!!
wont get vaxed yourself? cant stay in the country!!!

What next? soon you wont be able to get insurance or a mortgage or a car without getting jabbed first!! Its insane!!

But surely a religious exemption would still stand in this instance no?
so not only would I have to apply for a RE for my DD, looks like I would have to get one for myself too now does it?
I have a 2 year green card but I need to apply for a new 10yr one one in April - does this new vax law apply seeing as Im not exactly adjusting status.
Oh this all just sickens me.

[Panthira]

Ms. L, I don;t think the law applies if you are already in the states. My DH had a painless process switching to the 10yr...

[MsLondon]

Originally Posted by Panthira

Ms. L, I don;t think the law applies if you are already in the states. My DH had a painless process switching to the 10yr...

Oh thanks Panthira, I really hope so.
Going through immigration and applying for a green card was so mind stressing.
So was my whole vaccination decisions/debates and the thought of having to apply for exemptions is so mind stressing also.

But the thought of those 2 things combined... AAAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!

[nicolebeth]

Originally Posted by CanidFL

Rotavirus? I thought you couldn’t get that past 12 weeks old?

There are a few words in there about how the vaccines required are given based upon age-appropriateness. (I reread it several times, myself.)

This is ridiculous--especially the HPV vaccine.

[CanidFL]

It depends what visa you are on right now. If you still have to submit an I-485 then you need to do have the vaccines or a waiver. I came over on the K3 and lived here for 2 years before applying for the greencard (I485). I still had to prove my vaccine status and catch up on any I didn't have.

Ok I did some digging and here is what I found. It appears that you can fill out form I-601 and submit it with your I-485 when you apply for the 10 year green card. The cost is a whopping $545. Looks like it went up in Feb. 2008. It also appears that you have to tell them why you are opposed to the vaccines. I need to cool down after reading this now. I hated the immigration process and the fact that they are now requiring all these bs vaccines to get in and charging $545 for something that is against your religion is outrageous :

Here is a link to the form you need to fill out

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/usc...0045f3d6a1RCRD

(C) Individual Waivers under Section 212(g)(2)(C) of the Act Based on Religious Beliefs or Moral Objections . Section 212(g)(2)(C) of the Act authorizes USCIS to grant a waiver of inadmissibility when the applicant establishes that compliance with the vaccination requirements would be contrary to his or her religious beliefs or moral convictions. (Continue accepting Form I-601 for this purpose, pending approval of the revised forms.) The plain statutory language refers to the alien's "religious beliefs or moral convictions" whereas the language in the accompanying Conference Report is more restrictive and refers to "an active member of a religious faith . . . ." USCIS has taken particular caution to avoid any perceived infringement on personal beliefs and First Amendment rights to free speech and religion. To this end, USCIS has reviewed court decisions on conscientious objection to the military draft, and challenges to State-mandated vaccinations for public school students, and has established the following three requirements:


• The applicant must be opposed to vaccinations in any form . The fact that the applicant has received certain vaccinations but not others is not automatic grounds for denial, depending on the reasons provided for having received them. For example, the applicant's religious or moral beliefs have changed substantially since the date the particular vaccinations were administered, or the applicant is a child who may have already received certain vaccinations under the routine practices of an orphanage. These examples do not limit your authority to consider all credible circumstances and accompanying evidence.


• The objection must be based on religious beliefs or moral convictions . This second requirement should be handled with sensitivity. On the one hand, case law notes that the individual's religious beliefs must be balanced against the benefit of society as a whole. On the other hand, these same cases also note the importance of being mindful that vaccinations offend certain individuals' religious beliefs.


Note 1: It is not necessary for the applicant to be a member of a recognized or mainstream religion. It is not necessary for the applicant to be a member of a specific religion or attend a specific house of worship. By imposing such a requirement, the Government could potentially be perceived as putting a "stamp of approval" on some religions or religious beliefs but not others. Note also that the plain language of the statute refers to religious beliefs or moral convictions.


Note 2: It is necessary to distinguish between strong religious/moral objections and mere preference. The analysis of exactly what constitutes a religious or moral objection, as found in cases involving challenges to State-mandated vaccinations for public school students, reveals that a touchstone of a religion is present where a believer will categorically disregard elementary self-interest rather than transgress religious tenets. Consequently, the applicant has the burden of establishing a strong objection to va ccinations that is based on religious or moral beliefs, as opposed to a mere preference against vaccinations. By means of a sworn statement, the applicant should state exactly what those religious beliefs or moral objections are and establish how such beliefs would be violated or compromised by complying with the vaccination requirements.


• The religious or moral beliefs must be sincere . To protect only those beliefs that are held as a matter of conscience, sincerity analysis seeks to determine the subjective good faith of an adherent. Even if these beliefs accurately reflect the applicant's ultimate conclusions about vaccinations, they must stem from religious/moral convictions, and must not have been framed in terms of a particular belief so as to gain the legal remedy desired, i.e. , a waiver under section 212(g)(2)(C) of the Act. While an individual may ascribe his or her opposition to vaccinations to a particular religious belief or moral conviction that is inherently opposed to vaccinations, the question then turns to whether that claimed belief or moral conviction is truly held, i.e. , whether it is applied consistently. This may be established through the sworn statement submitted by the applicant. Additional corroborating evidence, if available and credible, may also be considered.

[nia82]

And it is not sure that they accept the waiver... However if you already have a green card you don't need to do the medical / vaccination stuff again. I had to get the stupid varicella shot back in 2006 when we applied for the green card. Now that we just have to apply (and pay another load of money) for the permanent green card (you only get a 2 year one the first time around, then you gotta prove that you are still married to get the permanent card or you get kicked out of the country).

The stupidest thing about the varicella shot back then was that they required only one, when you need 2 shots to establish immunity. So it's all just BS (sorry), but they will only require immigrants to get the first dose, so what's the deal - people won't be immune to any of those diseases anyways then.... Clearly a genius came up with those rules.

The HPV is required for women only I think up to 26 years, which is outrageous especially since the vaccine is really dangerous. Shingles is new on the list... Hep A too. Meningo and Rotavirus might be for kids only. E.g. teenagers who immigrate need a Hep B shot, I didn't. I was over the age for the requirement (24 at that time).

Believe me, the vaccines and the medical is not the only horrible thing about that immigration process... But what can you do if you want to be with your spouse who is unwilling to move to Europe.... sigh

[CanidFL]

Originally Posted by nia82

Believe me, the vaccines and the medical is not the only horrible thing about that immigration process... But what can you do if you want to be with your spouse who is unwilling to move to Europe.... sigh

Or Canada I miss my country

[DesireeH]

I have a friend from Belize and she told me she had to get a bunch of vaccines for her paperwork too. Makes me sick! They made her have something extra too since she was from "central america." She already lived here for 3 years prior to that but it was when her paperwork was being finalized or whatever. Sigh.....

[CanidFL]

BUMP for another poster wondering about immigration and vaccines.

[honeybunch2k8]

Originally Posted by CanidFL

Rotavirus? I thought you couldn’t get that past 12 weeks old?




AFTER I immigrated And it costs around $200 to file an exemption as stated above.

For real??? I see that it's scheduled for 4 and 6 mos...Hmmm...
I'm guessing breastfeeding would cut down on the risk.

[not now]

Originally Posted by Panthira

Slightly ot, but what the heck is Zoster?

My DH had to get all of his shots when he came here. We had no idea about exemptions.

Varicella-zoster is the virus that causes chickenpox and herpes zoster is the medical term for shingles.

It's not surprising that they added those vaccinations, they've been requiring vaccinations for year so basically they are updating the requirements. My mom and all her siblings have those round dents/scars in their arms from getting vaccinations when they came here from Mexico.

[Carma]

Just 3 years ago I only needed the MMR for a greencard.
Would they give HPV vaccin to everyone or only young girls? I thought they know for sure that it is not save for older girls (larger chance they are exposed to HPV already).

Carma

[traycanadian]

I personally think this situation is a lot more dire because, contrary to the perception here, vaccinations were not actually required for adjustment of status to permanent resident up until July 2008. This is a MAJOR change. They made you think they were, of course, but they really weren't. This fact was clearly stated on Form I-693 (the previous version, of course, which I have a copy of if anyone is interested).

The scary thing is that the language on this form has been sufficiently changed to imply that it is now mandatory to be vaccinated to gain permanent residency and getting an exemption will be challenging. They know that people will most likely rather comply than risk their permanent residency.

I suspect that this is just the first in changes to come for all of us, citizens and immigrants alike. I think they realize they still need to offer exemption, almost as a CYA, but they'll make you jump through hoops to get it.

[Tari Mithrandir]

Okay, what??
Does this apply only to new immigrants or old as well?
I am Canadian, living in NJ, my 2 year residency is coming up for expiration and I have to renew. I have no intention of becoming a citizen of the USA.... SO please say that means I am exempt from this BS?
:

[nia82]

Tari: I'm filing for removal of conditions just this week, and no, we don't need any more vaccines nor a new medical, at least something good huh? But we get to pay the new fee (they raised them July 07 by nearly 60%!).

I know that the age cutoff for Gardasil is 26 according to USCIS, I read it somewhere on the immigration forum websites. Gosh I am so happy that I don't need it, if it had been there 2 years ago - oh my!

I wouldn't be surprised if some states will make laws that everybody needs to be vaccinated such as New York calls CPS on you if you refuse the vitamin K shot and eye ointment... Believe me it is terrible, I have had that the first 7 years of my life in Ex-Eastern-Germany. Medical care including vaccinations were mandatory and completely out of the hands of the parents - you couldn't even refuse that your child participates in a medical trial/study. Making vaccines mandatory is one of many steps towards such a dictatorship and I really find it concerning.