America visa ban lifted on HIV-positive individuals

Previously, HIV-positive individuals were banned from travelling to America or being granted an American visa.

The president signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009 at the White House Friday, the final procedural step in ending the ban, and the act will be published today in the Federal Register followed by the standard 60-day waiting period prior to implementation.

The lifting of the ban for visitors and American visa applications has been a long time coming, according to human rights and AIDS research bodies.

“We're thrilled that the ban has been lifted based on science, reason, and human rights,” Kevin Robert Frost, CEO of amFAR, an AIDS research foundation, told the Washington Post.

The American Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in American visa and immigration services.