Visa restrictions for HIV-positive immigrants still in place in dozens of countries
- Recent leak in Singapore of data of HIV-positive people renewed attention on its curbs on long-term stays by those who have the virus
- Countries with restrictions include Russia and the United Arab Emirates; there’s no logical basis for them any more, UNAids says
But the case, involving the records of 8,800 foreign nationals who tested positive for HIV in Singapore, also shines a spotlight on the city state’s restrictive policies towards foreigners with HIV, who face barriers to staying in the country for more than 90 days unless married to a Singaporean national.
The records were leaked by a foreigner in just such a situation, American Mikhy Farrera Brochez, who was deported after serving jail time for drug-related crimes and fraud, including hiding his HIV status. He was able to access the records with help from his boyfriend, a Singaporean doctor.
Singapore is one of only a handful of developed nations that still have laws restricting the long-term stay of foreign nationals with HIV – laws that have been deemed a human rights violation by the United Nations.
“When this [1998] law was brought in there was a lot more fear of unknown issues around disease ... but [today] the logic is just not borne out by any scientific or medical basis,” says Eamonn Murphy, UNAids regional director for Asia and the Pacific.