11/11/2025
In a controversial move, US President Donald Trump announced new visa restrictions for foreigners with obesity or diabetes, describing them as a potential “public charge” just hours after unveiling discounted access to popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound.
The new directive, sent to embassies worldwide, instructs visa officers to take an applicant’s health into account when deciding on entry to the United States.
Conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and mental health issues are all listed as potential reasons for refusal.
According to documents seen by KFF Health News, the memo reads:�“You must consider an applicant’s health. Certain medical conditions… can require hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of care.”
Immigration experts have already criticised the decision, warning that visa officers are not medically trained and could make biased or uninformed decisions about applicants’ health.
The announcement came the same day Trump revealed “tremendous cuts” to the prices of GLP-1 weight-loss and diabetes drugs, what he called the “fat shot,” now being sold through a new government website, TrumpRX.
While Trump praised the deal as “a triumph for American patients,” critics were quick to point out the irony of promoting weight-loss drugs while restricting entry to obese or diabetic foreigners.
The World Health Organisation estimates that 13% of adults globally are obese, while around 11% live with diabetes, raising major concerns about how widely this policy could apply.
What do you think of Trump’s latest immigration move?