Comments on: US HIV travel ban lifted as Bush signs new AIDS bill

By: Rory

Rory — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:36:55 +0000

Having just tried this new and supposedly improved process out, I can safely say that anyone who is HIV-positive and thinks that it is now easy to travel to the USA is in for a serious disappointment.

You are still excluded from entering the USA under the Visa Waiver scheme. You still have to declare you HIV status, and you still have to attend the US Embassy for a personal interview before possibly being granted a visa that is good for one trip only and indelibly identifies you as HIV-positive in your passport. What is worse, you have to have confirmed and paid for travel arrangements before you can even apply for that visa .. and still have a very real chance of being rejected and having to take a serious financial hit.

It effectively means that you are excluded form taking advantage of any deals. It means you can't travel with less than 2 months notice. It means that you have to make a choice between buying expensive fully flexible / refundable tickets, or being willing to face a 100% loss on the cost of any tickets.

If this is progress, then they can stick it.

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By: Belayneh

Belayneh — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 02:44:36 +0000

Thank you President BUSH! The only thing I can do is to THANK YOU!!you dont't know what it means to me.
THANK YOU AGAIN!!!

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By: postivie

postivie — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:51:51 +0000

This is the greatest news of the century. Law-abiding, tax-paying, hardworking HIV positive individuals have been denied green cards yet we have a whole bunch of HIV- negative crminals, tax evaders, child molesters who have the privilege of obtaining green cards, some fraudulently. thanks for re-thinking this situation.

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By: rommel

rommel — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:19:44 +0000

I am not poz but this is extremely good news. I don't see any reason why HIV positive people should be banned. Kudos to president Bush!

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By: robert

robert — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:06:22 +0000

President Bush has done something very good for the nation and world alike. Thank you mister president and as he say's the american people are good people.

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By: Terry

Terry — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:27:01 +0000

I have just passed this good news onto two good friends of mine that are both Poz.

Their reaction was that it didn't matter to them as they would never travel to the States in the future as a matter of principle; because of all their years of denied access.

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By: Lincoln - Australia

Lincoln - Australia — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:57:01 +0000

Twenty years Poz and glad to see this overdue act of decency finally surface. I sometimes transit through the USA with work – maybe now I can relax a bit and not worry that I will be caught out and have the words "DENIED – HIV" stamped in my passport for all the world to see. Does this mean they will remove the question asking you to declare you have a disease on your arrival card?

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By: Maurice Greenham

Maurice Greenham — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:03:41 +0000

Hallelujah! Next year I will have lived with HIV for a quarter of a century…maybe I should celebrate by travelling as an openly gay HIV+ traveller to the USA…a country to which until today I was officially denied access.

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By: Jason Crossley

Jason Crossley — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:40:32 +0000

Fantastic news, It really is long overdue!

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By: p

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:07:33 +0000

it's been too long coming, but i must admit, i have a tear in my eye

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