UK: Former health minister calls for compulsory HIV tests for migrants arriving from “high-prevalence countries”

Test migrants for HIV, former minister says, as UK rates rise

A former health minister says in a co-authored blog post that the UK increase can be attributed to undiagnosed migrants arriving from sub-Saharan Africa.

A former health minister has called for the UK to introduce HIV tests for migrants entering the UK.

Neil O’Brien claimed that there were a large number of people arriving in the UK with HIV who were unaware of their diagnosis and therefore went untreated.

The Conservative MP for Harborough, Oadby & Wigston said that HIV tests should be compulsory to get a visa when arriving from “high-prevalence countries” to reduce the risk of transmission from undiagnosed people.

O’Brien, who served as the public health minister between September 2022 and November 2023, said this would be a much more targeted approach than other countries that required HIV tests to get a permanent visa, such as Australia and New Zealand.

O’Brien wrote on his Substack blog that introducing HIV tests for migrants was essential to meet the government’s strategy to end new HIV transmission in the UK by 2030.

The number of newly diagnosed patients had fallen consistently since 2005 but data for 2022 and 2023 revealed that progress had suddenly gone backwards.

This has been driven by a rise in the number of newly diagnosed individuals who were born outside the UK and Europe, particularly among people from Africa. People from east Africa followed by southern Africa have the highest rates of HIV, according to data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

O’Brien linked this change in HIV diagnosis trends to changes in the UK’s immigration system, which has led to a significant increase in the number of people from sub-Saharan Africa.

The UKHSA disputed the suggestion that a large number of people were arriving in the UK with HIV without knowing about it. It pointed to statistics showing that last year 53 per cent of cases in England that were reported to the UKHSA had already been diagnosed abroad. This was the first time that the proportion of diagnoses made overseas had exceeded the proportion of diagnoses first made in England.

In 2023 about 330,000 visas were issued to migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, compared with about 50,000 a year in the 2010s.

O’Brien suggested that the additional cost should be paid for by applicants, which he said would be small compared with visa fees, the immigration health surcharge and other costs of travel.

He said the system would work similarly to that for tuberculosis (TB), which requires all people applying for a visa from a list of 102 countries to have a TB test if they are coming for more than six months.

More than 50 countries require an HIV test for at least some visas. In Australia, anyone applying for permanent residency must undergo an HIV test to meet the health requirement for a visa. Those entering on shorter visas also need to have an HIV test in some circumstances.

Visa applicants intending to stay in New Zealand for more than a year must also have a HIV test.

Russia: Immigrants deported for failing medical examination that includes HIV test

Bailiffs of Khakassia expelled 74 foreigners in six months

Translated from Russian by IA – Scroll down for article in Russian

In 2024, bailiffs of Khakassia expelled 74 foreign citizens from Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Georgia and Belarus from the Russian Federation. According to the UFSSP of Khakassia, they mainly exceeded the period of stay in Russia, and some were expelled for evading the mandatory rules of stay in the country, such as passing a medical commission.

The Beysky District Court established that an Azerbaijani citizen, after one year from the previous medical examination, did not pass the second medical commission. He also did not provide documents on the absence of the use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, the absence of infectious diseases that pose a danger to others, and a certificate of the absence of HIV infection.

The court found the foreign citizen guilty of committing an administrative offense and imposed a fine of 2 thousand rubles with subsequent administrative expulsion from Russia. Before the expulsion procedure, migrants are held in a specialized temporary detention facility. After purchasing travel documents, bailiffs of the special purpose department accompany foreign citizens to the checkpoint across the state border of Russia.

Судебные приставы Хакасии выдворили 74 иностранцев за полгода

В 2024 году судебные приставы Хакасии выдворили за пределы Российской Федерации 74 иностранных граждан из Таджикистана, Азербайджана, Узбекистана, Грузии и Белоруссии. Как рассказали в УФССП Хакасии, в основном они превысили срок пребывания в России, а некоторые были выдворены за уклонение от обязательных правил пребывания в стране, таких как прохождение медкомиссии.

Бейский районный суд установил, что гражданин Азербайджана, по истечении одного года с момента прохождения предыдущего медицинского освидетельствования, не прошёл повторную медкомиссию. Он также не предоставил документы об отсутствии фактов потребления наркотических средств и психотропных веществ, отсутствии инфекционных заболеваний, представляющих опасность для окружающих, и сертификат об отсутствии ВИЧ-инфекции.

Суд признал иностранного гражданина виновным в совершении административного правонарушения и назначил ему штраф в размере 2 тысяч рублей с последующим административным выдворением за пределы России. До процедуры выдворения мигранты содержатся в специализированном учреждении временного содержания. После приобретения проездных документов, судебные приставы отделения специального назначения сопровождают иностранных граждан до пункта пропуска через государственную границу России.

Canada: Advocates call for end to Canada’s discriminatory HIV partner notification policy

HIV organisations in Canada call for the immediate revocation of immigration policy that harms people with HIV

This statement can be attributed to HALCO, the HIV Legal Network, and COCQ-SIDA.

June 21, 2023 – The HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO), HIV Legal Network, and La Coalition des organismes communautaires québécois de lutte contre le sida (COCQ-SIDA), are deeply concerned about the continued application of the “Automatic Partner Notification Policy” (“the Policy”) by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and are calling for the Policy to be immediately revoked.

The Automatic Partner Notification Policy requires individuals living with HIV who are applying for permanent resident status through a family class sponsorship or as a dependent family member of a refugee to inform their sponsor of their HIV status. Applicants must also provide the IRCC with proof of such notification within 60 days. Otherwise, applicants must withdraw their application or wait until the IRCC informs their sponsor. This Policy discriminates against people living with HIV, including by violating their right to equal treatment under s. 15(1) under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Applicants are tested for many illnesses during medical examinations as part of the immigration process. However, IRCC requires only those living with HIV to choose between revealing their health condition or withdrawing their application. IRCC does not impose this requirement on applicants living with any other health conditions, including other sexually transmitted or blood-borne infections. Moreover, provincial and territorial public health authorities already, and more appropriately, address these issues, with each having specific procedures to be followed after a positive HIV diagnosis.

The Policy can also add a year or more to the already lengthy immigration process because applicants living with HIV are required to attend an interview, which is not normally required in permanent residence applications. This is expected to have a disproportionate harmful impact on gay, trans, Black, and other racialized people, without any justification.

While this Policy is intended to “protect” public health, it does the opposite by increasing stigma and perpetuating stereotypes that people with HIV are inherently dangerous and deceptive. The Policy is also based on stereotypes about risks of HIV transmission, which are much lower than commonly assumed. While HIV can only be transmitted through specific activities (e.g. HIV cannot be transmitted sexually by people with suppressed viral loads or when a condom is used properly and does not break), the Policy treats every applicant as posing a high risk of transmission.

IRCC policies must comply with the Charter and uphold the human rights of people living with HIV. The Automatic Partner Notification Policy is invasive, discriminatory, and arbitrary, and must be revoked.

Russia: Migrants workers to undergo HIV testing every 3 months

Labor migrants in Russia will be obliged to take a PCR test every 72 hours and tests for HIV and other infectious diseases every three months

Automatic google translation – For original article in Russian, please scroll down

On July 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a federal law on state fingerprint registration of visa-free foreign citizens in Russia.

According to the law, visa-free foreigners will now have to undergo fingerprinting, photographing and medical examination without fail within 90 calendar days from the date of entry. They will be given a corresponding document.

And labor migrants will have to go through all these procedures within 30 days. They will be required to confirm the absence of HIV infection, infectious diseases that pose a danger to others, as well as drug addiction.

Moreover, if they are diagnosed with drug addiction or HIV infection, then “a decision will be made about the undesirability of their stay in Russia.” Failure to comply with this law threatens to reduce the length of stay of foreigners in Russia.

The law will come into force in December.

Human rights activist Valentina Chupik explained that according to this law, migrants will have to take PCR tests to detect coronavirus every 72 hours, as well as do tests for other infectious diseases every three months.

“I suppose that after this story not a single legal migrant will remain in Russia. For example, I will not be able to spend 1950 rubles every three days on a PCR test. […] As far as I understand, the one who signed these laws did not even read them. Well, he hasn’t read them for years. And the one who made these laws has no idea about Russian legislation and about migration statistics, ”said the human rights activist.

She sent a letter to the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev asking for help in this situation and urged migrants from other countries to also appeal to their authorities. She believes that in this way the Russian authorities “will pay attention to what they have done in the field of migration law and get down to business.”

Трудовых мигрантов в России обяжут сдавать ПЦР-тест каждые 72 часа и тесты на ВИЧ и другие инфекционные заболевания каждые три месяца

Президент России Владимир Путин 1 июля подписал федеральный закон о государственной дактилоскопической регистрации безвизовых иностранных граждан в России.

Согласно закону, безвизовые иностранцы теперь должны будут проходить дактилоскопическую регистрацию, фотографирование и медосмотр в обязательном порядке в течение 90 календарных дней со дня въезда. Им будет выдаваться соответствующий документ.

*Дактилоскопическая регистрация — сдача отпечатков пальцев.

А трудовые мигранты должны будут пройти все эти процедуры в течение 30 дней. Они будут обязаны подтвердить отсутствие ВИЧ-инфекции, инфекционных заболеваний, которые представляют опасность для окружающих, а также наркотической зависимости.

При этом, если у них выявят наркоманию или ВИЧ-инфекцию, то «будет приниматься решение о нежелательности их пребывания на территории России». Несоблюдение этого закона грозит сокращением срока пребывания иностранцев в России.

Закон вступит в силу уже в декабре.

Правозащитница Валентина Чупик пояснила, что согласно этому закону, мигранты будут должны сдавать ПЦР-тесты на выявление коронавируса каждые 72 часа, а также каждые три месяца делать тесты на другие инфекционные заболевания.

«Я так предполагаю, что после этой истории ни одного легального мигранта в России не останется. Я, например, не потяну тратить каждые три дня 1950 рублей на ПЦР-тест. […] Я так понимаю, что тот кто подписывал эти законы, их даже не читал. Ну он их уже много лет не читает. А тот, кто производил эти законы понятия не имеет о российском законодательстве и о статистике миграции», — заявила правозащитница.

Она направила письмо к президенту Узбекистана Шавкату Мирзиееву с просьбой о помощи в этой ситуации и призвала мигрантов из других стран также обратиться к своим властям. Она считает, что таким образом власти России «обратят внимание на то, что они понаделали в сфере миграционного права и займутся делом».

Jordan: Jordan’s HIV deportation policy threatens lives

Foreigners Living with HIV in Jordan Face an Impossible Choice

Government Mandates Reporting HIV Status, Deports People Living with HIV.

In Jordan, medical professionals and health facilities are mandated to report an individual’s HIV status to the government. Foreign nationals found to be HIV-positive are summarily deported regardless of the consequences to their health and safety and banned for life from returning.

Earlier this year, an Iraqi gay man living with HIV fled to Jordan to escape persecution he faced at home for being gay, yet he could not access HIV treatment without being immediately deported. When his health rapidly deteriorated, he could not seek medical attention for fear of being deported. Whatever decision he made would threaten his life.

Jordan also obliges nationals to undergo HIV testing when seeking employment in the public sector and for non-nationals obtaining work permits, and denies them jobs if they are HIV-positive. It also requires testing for non-nationals renewing residency permits. For LGBT people living with HIV, the stigma and discrimination by medical professionals and employers often bars them from accessing basic rights, without any legal recourse.

Abdallah Hanatleh, executive director of “Sawaed,” an Amman-based organization that facilitates access to HIV treatment, told Human Rights Watch that his organization documents dozens of deportations based on HIV status annually.

Jordan is not alone in this abusive practice. Gulf states including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also deport people found to be HIV-positive without any provision for continuity of care. Worse yet, in Jordan, as in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, HIV-positive foreign nationals in the criminal justice system are denied adequate access to treatment in prison. “They are placed in solitary confinement, further isolating and stigmatizing them,” Hanatleh said.

International law prohibits deportations based solely on HIV status. Jordan should explicitly ban discrimination based on HIV status and stop deporting HIV-positive individuals under the principle of non-refoulement. This principle applies to asylum seekers and refugees, and for people with HIV, it means that governments are prohibited from returning them — depending on how advanced the disease — to places where they do not have adequate access to medical care and social support, or where they risk being subjected to persecution or degrading treatment on account of their HIV status.

Jordan should not mandate reporting of HIV status and employers should not be requiring HIV testing in the first place. People living with HIV should never be forced to forego lifesaving treatment in order to avoid deportation to danger.

Turkmenistan: New law provides free HIV treatment but mandates HIV testing prior to marriage, and for people who use drugs, prisoners, blood donors and foreigners seeking work visas.

Turkmenistan has passed a law under which all people seeking a marriage license must be tested for HIV.

The law implies that anyone found to be infected with the virus that is the precursor to AIDS would be denied a marriage license.

Reports in state-controlled media on April 6 said the law was enacted “in order to create conditions for forming healthy families and avert the birth of HIV-infected children.”

Authoritarian Turkmenistan has given little public information about the extent of HIV infection in the country.

The new law also requires HIV tests for anyone suspected of using narcotics, foreigners seeking work visas, prisoners, and blood donors.

Under the legislation signed by President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, the government will guarantee free treatment to people infected with AIDS.

In 2002, Turkmenistan’s Health Ministry claimed the country had only two cases of HIV and that both patients had been infected outside the Central Asian state.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP

South Korea: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says mandating HIV testing only for foreigners is "discriminatory and an affront to..dignity"

A New Zealand woman’s rights were violated when her employers in the Republic of Korea demanded that, as a foreign English teacher, she undergo HIV/AIDS and drug tests as a condition of having her contract renewed, United Nations experts have found.

The Geneva-based Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) was considering the case of the woman, whose contract was not renewed in 2009 after she refused to undergo a secondary mandatory HIV test required only of foreigners, arguing it was “discriminatory and an affront to her dignity.”

In a statement released by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) today, CERD members noted that the Republic of Korea did not provide any reasons to justify the mandatory testing, from which Korean and ethnic Korean teachers were exempt.

They also noted that, during arbitration proceedings, the woman’s employers, the Uslan Metropolitan Office of Education (UMOE), said that HIV/AIDS tests were viewed as a means to check the values and morality of foreign English teachers.

The testing policy, the Committee wrote in its findings , “does not appear to be justified on public health grounds or any other ground, and is a breach of the right to work without distinction to race, colour, national or ethnic origin.”

The Committee called on the Republic of Korea to grant the woman adequate compensation for the moral and material damages she suffered. The Committee also urged the authorities to take steps to review regulations and policies related to the employment of foreigners and to abolish, in law and in practice, any legislation which creates or perpetuates racial discrimination.

“The Committee recommends the State party to counter any manifestations of xenophobia, through stereotyping or stigmatizing, of foreigners by public officials, the media and the public at large,” members wrote. The Committee has asked the Republic of Korea to inform it within 90 days of the steps it has taken.

In its submission to the Committee, the Republic of Korea said that, since 2010, its guidelines on the employment of foreign teachers do not specify that they have to submit results of HIV/AIDS and drugs tests to have their contracts renewed, and that mandatory testing is no longer required by the UMOE.