U.S. Lifts HIV Ban

I remember undergoing regular immigration medical screenings during the years preceding my 1999 U.S. residency.

The exams included HIV tests.

I also remember being turned away from blood donation centers because I was, at the time, a citizen of an "HIV high-risk country."

My confrontation with the stigmatization ended when I became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

The United States government, on Jan. 4, 2010, ended its 22-years of discriminating against HIV-infected potential migrants.

Individuals applying for U.S. residency are required to undergo an immigration physical exam, conducted by a U.S. government appointed physician.

In the past HIV was unequivocally listed as a communicable disease that would automatically disqualify an infected intending immigrant. The ban was lifted after the Center for Disease Control declassified HIV as “a communicable disease of public health significance.”

Clemens Ruland of the Netherlands became the first HIV positive visitor to take advantage of the lift. He entered the U.S. on Jan. 7, 2010.