Wife has TB - Need help regarding CDC guidelines - marraige visa to USA

[hercdogules]

Hello TV Members,

I need some advice from those who've been in this situation.

We got down to the Embassy visit and health check and found out my wife has TB - they canceled her embassy visit actually. She started at Bumrumgrad (only Bumrumgrad and BNH are offical "CDC" checkpoints for the USA), but was "OK'd" to be treated at Bangpakok 9 hospital by the Bumrumgrad lung doctor. After 6 months the TB has not gone away. We are not sure if it is drug resistant or not, culture is being done.

We've been keeping the the lung doctor at Bumrumgrad in the loop the whole time. So she has the doctor from Bangpakok 9 call the doctor at Bumrumgrad and she hears the doctor at Bumrumgrad say even after she clears the TB treatment and has a clean bill of health, she will have to wait a year to get her visa.

Is this true or did she not hear this correctly?

Has anyone had similar experience?

The CDC website and internet info on this doesn't spell out the guidelines.

P.S. We know if she is drug resistant, then that means 1 - 2 years of more serious treatment. So I've stupidly gone off to the US because I thought she would soon follow, but he fates have snot smiled on us.

Please help.

Thanks.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Perhaps a waiver would be available for onward treatment in the U.S.? If she's non-communicable, I assume.

Mac

[following clip from page 16 of the pdf file]

http://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/pdf/tuberculosis-ti-2009.pdf

Waivers

A provision allows applicants undergoing pulmonary or laryngeal tuberculosis

treatment to petition for a Class A waiver.

Waivers should be pursued for any immigrant or refugee who has

a complicated clinical course and would benefit from receiving

tuberculosis treatment in the United States.

Applicants diagnosed with tuberculosis disease who are both smearand

culture-negative and will be traveling to the United States

prior to start of treatment do not need to complete the waiver process.

In exceptional medical situations, a provision allows applicants undergoing pulmonary tuberculosis

treatment to petition for a Class A waiver. Form I-601 or I-602 (for immigrants or refugees,

respectively) must be completed. These petitions are reviewed by the Department of Homeland

Security on an individual basis and considered in situations with extenuating medical circumstances

and also sent to DGMQ to also review. DGMQ reviews the application and provides an opinion

regarding the case to the requesting entity (DOS or DHS). DHS then has the final authority to

adjudicate the waiver request. Because tuberculosis disease in young children is very challenging,

CDC supports the filing of waiver requests for young children with tuberculosis disease so that the

waiver request may be reviewed and adjudicated in a timely manner.

All requests for waivers need to be accompanied by prior notification and approval by the U.S.-

based physician accepting responsibility for the applicant’s continued care and treatment and the

U.S. health department with jurisdiction.

[hercdogules]

I just emailed them again and asked. That said before that she is not eligible for a waiver. My sister is actually a teaching RN and wrote the embassy and got a BS canned answer of basically no.

I am concerned that even when she is cleared that there is some waiting period?

I am also obviously concerned about her health, especially if her TB is drug resistant, which would require 1-2 year treament plan.

[Mario2008]

Medical advice can be gotten in the health forum: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/forum/23-health-body-and-medicine/

[hercdogules]

Thanks, I am posting here because I would like to know how this affects her visa.

[Maestro]

...We've been keeping the the lung doctor at Bumrumgrad in the loop the whole time. So she has the doctor from Bangpakok 9 call the doctor at Bumrumgrad and she hears the doctor at Bumrumgrad say even after she clears the TB treatment and has a clean bill of health, she will have to wait a year to get her visa.

Is this true or did she not hear this correctly?

Has anyone had similar experience?

The CDC website and internet info on this doesn't spell out the guidelines...

The basic questions seems to be whether it is true that after the applicant's successful treatment for TB, the US consulate will not accept a new visa application for at least one year.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

I passed on your Q to a friend who's retired from CDC, his comment below, unfortunately, not a solution, tho.

Mac

For this guy, the pending culture will be very important in

determining the course of their case. If it shows resistance, they

have a long process ahead, as he seems to recognize. The physician

quoted as saying "after a clean bill of health...must wait one year"

seems to be referring to an immigration regulation or practice rather

than a CDC guideline. That may or may not be available to the general

public, or even accurate.

Clearing refugees after treatment for TB was expedited by the IOM

coordination of the waiver process, the presence of CDC and INS

offices that were all on board with moving them along with as few

delays as possible. This is not an easy task for an individual.