THE ABC'S OF IMMIGRATION - INADMISSIBILITY - MISCELLANEOUS GROUNDS OF INADMISSIBILITY

This week we conclude discussion of the grounds upon which a person can be denied admission to the US with an overview of the miscellaneous grounds of inadmissibility.

People who will engage in polygamy in the US are inadmissible.  This ground does not apply, as it did in the past, to those who advocate polygamy or have practiced it in the past, so long as they do not engage in it in the US. 

A person who is otherwise admissible, but who is accompanying a person who is inadmissible by reason of illness or disability and requires protection may be barred from entering to ensure that the inadmissible alien continues to receive the care he or she requires.

In 1990, a new ground of inadmissibility dealing with international child abductions was added.  Under it, a person who withholds custody of a child after a court has ordered custody be granted to a US citizen is inadmissible until they comply with the court order.  This ground does not apply in cases where the child is in a country that has signed the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction.

In 1996, voting illegally became a ground of inadmissibility.  While the law does not state that the person knew they were illegally voting, the State Department has instructed consular officers to not apply the bar in cases where the person did not know they were voting illegally.

Former US citizens who renounced their citizenship to avoid paying US taxes are inadmissible.

People who traffic in the property of US nationals are inadmissible.  This provision deals with US property lost during the Cuban revolution.

The President can designate groups of people as inadmissible for any reason he deems fit.  Most often, this provision is used to apply pressure to encourage counties to act in accordance with US wishes.  Similarly, US economic sanctions can result in visa denials.