HIV Positive Gospel Singer Joji Baro Suffers Further Humiliation: The United States Embassy Allegedly Deny Him A Visa For Being HIV/AIDS Positive
Joji Baro is a man who has received one knock after another. He has had a tough time ever since revealing that he is a homosexual with jabs and insults being thrown his way. Then he revealed that he is HIV positive and everyone and their fathers wanted to stone the lad. Now he has yet another institution push him down. Sad indeed.
Earlier today, I came across this post from him:
It’s done. It’s sealed. You could have seen how I was treated like a criminal at the US embassy Yesterday when I went to find out why is my visa is taking longer to be ready. Eventually, I left there without an answer. The lady on customer care rudely answered my call but gave no straight answer. Meanwhile I have been duped three folds of Ksh. 50,000/- by someone who booked my appointment.
Just like that. And now am yet to come to terms with being blacklisted for being HIV+. I never knew the ban had been lifted as people say. All I know for a fact, am blacklisted on that ground. The forces behind it is a powerful political family. I don’t know whether am sad or scared. Am just confused. Been sleeping since Yesterday lunch hour. I was supposed to leave Today for Dallas ahead of my perfomance at the Pride Pool Party in Texas on 21st. All this is too much…can’t handle it. Can’t take it anymore
Apparently, from his statement, he has denied a visa to visit America, the land of the free, home of the brave, for a gay celebration because he is HIV positive. I decided to get to the bottom of the matter. I called up the American Embassy and was promptly connected to the relevant work stations: Uncle Chim Tuna makes things happen.
But sadly, my efforts were fruitless. After several connections and re-connections, I gave up what was turning into a fruitless chase. But Uncle Chim Tuna is resourceful. I Googled the matter and found a helpful website with the resources I need:
Ineligible for a US visa forever
Schimmel warned that those who are caught lying may be rendered ineligible to apply for a US visa forever.
The applicants who end up in this category include:
- impostors, or those who commit fraud in their applications;
- those with criminal history;
- those with medical conditions that might pose a health threat in the US; and
- those who have a record of narcotic dependency.
He said: “It has to be something significant as what I described. If somebody, for example, has exaggerated their income, that’s a flaw, a mistake – we’re not likely to consider that a permanent ineligibility. But a combination of that and several other misrepresentations might lead to [that].
That was according to: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/250290/pinoyabroad/some-common-reasons-why-people-can-t-get-us-visas
And then there was this piece of contradictory information that seemed to suggest that if indeed, Joji Baro was denied a visa, his human rights might have been violated:
On January 4, 2010, the HIV ban on travel and immigration, which had been in place for two decades finally came to an end. With the end of the HIV ban, being positive is no longer an automatic ground of “inadmissibility.” For foreign nationals seeking to enter as tourists or short-term visitors, being positive should not be an issue at all. For lawful permanent resident applicants, being HIV-positive still could affect USCIS’s determination about whether you are “likely to become a public charge.”
That was according to: http://immigrationequality.org/issues/hiv/the-hiv-ban/
Hmmm… This calls for further digging. Perhaps an official will respond about the US embassy’s position on the matter. Even if it would be to tell me “You craned too much from our silence.”
