Covid Testing Suspended for Travelers to US
As of 12 June 2022, new COVID entry requirements take effect for visitors to the US.
Under the new rules, vaccinated non-US travelers no longer have to provide a negative pre-departure COVID-19 test before boarding a flight to the USA.
The COVID testing requirement was imposed in January 2021 and applied to all travelers age 2 and older, including US citizens.
The change applies only to travelers coming to the US by air, while the requirements remain unchanged for travelers entering the US by sea or land.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised it will review the new rule in 90 days to determine if pre-departure testing should be reinstated.
Vaccination requirements continue
The requirement to be fully vaccinated remains in place for all travelers who are not US citizens, permanent residents, or US nationals can enter the country, with limited exceptions.
Before flying into the United States from another country, non-citizens who are nonimmigrants (those who are not US citizens, US nationals, lawful permanent residents, or entering on an immigrant visa) must provide documentation proving they have received the full COVID-19 vaccination.
There are some noncitizen, nonimmigrant categories exempt from this rule.
If you fit into one of these groups, there are additional conditions you must achieve before you can fly to the US.
The CDC advises you are considered fully vaccinated where:
- “2 weeks (14 days) after your dose of an accepted single-dose vaccine
- 2 weeks (14 days) after your second dose of an accepted 2-dose series
- 2 weeks (14 days) after you received the full series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine (not placebo) in a clinical trial
- 2 weeks (14 days) after you received 2 doses of any “mix-and-match” combination of accepted COVID-19 vaccines administered at least 17 days apart
If you don’t meet these requirements, you are NOT considered fully vaccinated. A booster dose is not needed to meet this requirement.
A person who has received only one dose of an accepted 2-dose series and has recovered from COVID-19 does not meet this definition, and therefore is NOT considered fully vaccinated for travel to the United States.”
Author
Founder & Principal Attorney Nita Nicole Upadhye is a recognized leader in the field of US business immigration law, (The Legal 500, Who's Who Legal and AILA) and an experienced and trusted advisor to large multinational corporates through to SMEs. She provides strategic immigration advice and specialist application support to corporations and professionals, entrepreneurs, investors, artists, actors and athletes from across the globe to meet their US-bound talent mobility needs.
Nita is an active public speaker, thought leader, immigration commentator, and immigration policy contributor and regularly hosts training sessions for employers and HR professionals.
