Santa and his reindeer are getting some help from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will clear the way for Santa's annual delivery trip.

The United States doesn't allow animals from other countries to come into the U.S. without a total health check. This is to help prevent them from bringing in foreign animal diseases and infecting livestock here.

USDA's Port Services Dr. Brianna Schur says they were able to do a telemedicine health check of the reindeer and clear them for takeoff. When Santa is ready to enter the U.S. vets will be ready to check the reindeer again.  Hear the full report from USDA's Gary Crawford here.