How Do I Prepare For An Immigration Medical Exam
Try not to be nervous remember that even if you dont pass this portion of the assessment, you have the right to pursue a waiver. Here are a few steps you can take to reduce the chances that your medical exam will delay your immigration proceeding:
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Make sure your doctor has the right credentials. Inside the United States, you must see a civil surgeon approved by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services .
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If you are applying from outside the United States, you must use a panel physician approved by the State Department.
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Check to see if the doctor accepts your health insurance, and find out what your out-of-pocket expenses will be.
Drug & Alcohol Screening
The doctor will also ask you about any prescription drugs you take, your past and current drug and alcohol use, and whether you have had a history of substance abuse. If you are currently abusing substances, you will not qualify for a green card. If you can prove you have recovered, you are still eligible.
Before Your Immigration Medical Exam
You will have your exam with one of two different types of doctors. You may have the opportunity to ask questions and choose the right doctor based on where you are, the cost, the availability of the doctor, and if they accept your health insurance if you are insured.
If you are in the United States you will go to a civil surgeon who will be designated to you by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
If you are outside the United States you will visit a panel physician who will need to be approved and authorized by the U.S. Department of State
Green card medical exams can vary widely in cost and is usually impacted by factors such as location and provider. You may pay as little as $200, or as much as $500, and the most common fee is around $250 for one appointment.
You can schedule your medical exam by visiting the USCIS website and using their find a doctor tool, or by giving them a call to find out your local USCIS approved doctor. You as the applicant have a high degree of choice as to when to schedule your appointment. Where you are applying from will impact the schedule of the medical exam, and the validity period of the results.
The most important way you can ensure your medical exam goes smoothly is to have all of your documents ready and bring them with you when you see your doctor.
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The Green Card Medical Exam Process
Depending on where you are filing your application, you will either be in the consular processing flow or filing for an adjustment of status.
If You Are in The United States
You will need to make an appointment with a USCIS-designated civil surgeon for your medical examination. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has issued technical instructions for these examinations. Civil physicians or doctors use these instructions to examine immigration applicants. The results are sealed in an I-693 form. The applicant also receives a copy from the civil physician.
The doctor may refer for diagnosis or classification to another physician or a health department if required to do so based on the CDCs guidelines. If the USCIS determines that your I-693 is deficient, the USCIS sends a letter to the applicant. This letter requests the applicant to submit additional evidence. It may also ask that the doctor correct the medical examination results.
Once you have submitted your application with USCIS, it will decide on your adjustment of status application. If there are no grounds for inadmissibility, the application is likely worthy of approval.
Medical Examination And Vaccination Fees:
Visa applicants must directly pay the examining physicians office for the medical examination and other required tests. The standard fee is $270, which includes a blood test, urine test, chest x-ray and the physical examination. If further testing is needed such as sputum smears or tests for tuberculosis , drug screening or pregnancy additional fees may apply. Vaccination fee varies from $20 to $200 depending on the applicants age and the vaccines required.
Note: Fees are for the medical services performed and are not refundable, regardless of whether you are ultimately approved for a visa.
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S Of The Immigration Medical Exam
- Testing for a variety of illnesses and diseases
- Screening for drugs and alcohol
- Mental and physical evaluation
- A review of your immunization records
- A review of your general medical records
Green card medical exams are performed to make sure that the person seeking their green card does not have a health concern that could render them ineligible for immigration to the United States.
The process of a green card medical exam can be nerve-wracking, and its normal to be scared before the exam. Its important to remember though, that there is nothing to be afraid of with this process, and that if you take the necessary steps to prepare for it, you will be just fine.
If You Are Applying From Inside The United States You Can Choose From Two Possible Times To Schedule Your Examination
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You can schedule the appointment before you start the process of applying for your green card. The advantage of getting it done upfront is that you can submit the results as part of your initial application, known as concurrent filing. If you decide to go this route, keep in mind that the doctors signature on the exam results form cant be any earlier than 60 days before submitting the application packet. If the form is older than that, keep it and submit it later in the process. This form is good for two years.
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The other option is to schedule the examination after you have filed your initial application. You can bring the results with you to your interview or submit them to the USCIS separately.
Suppose you are applying from outside the United States. In that case, you can schedule the examination with the doctor after you have an appointment letter for a green card interview with the National Visa Center , a division of the Department of State. Do not schedule it before you have the appointment. In most cases, the results of the exam will be good for six months.
You can find immigration doctors near me with a quick search online.
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Keep Your Medical Card Updated With California Dmv
Commercial drivers, who are required to have a CDL medical card, are personally responsible to provide a copy of the new Medical Certificate to the licensing agency of the state in which their CDL was issued. Contact your State driver licensing agency for information about how to submit a copy of your medical certificate. For more information on the States self certification affidavit, and State CDL and DOT Medical Card Requirements read this blog article.
This link will take you to California CDL and DOT Medical Card Requirements.
Drug And Alcohol Screening
The doctor will ask questions about any prescription drugs you take, as well as your past and present drug and alcohol use.
To learn more about specific screening procedures for green card applicants, check out the CDCs guidance for civil surgeons or its guidance for panel physicians .
Boundless helps you prepare for every milestone of the marriage-based green card process, including the medical exam. Find out more about what you get with Boundless, or lets begin!
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The $129 Discounted Fee Includes
Blood draw at first visit is included
Your visit with the USCIS civil surgeon.
Filling out form I-693.
Anyone 15 and older will need an RPR test charged additionally at $20. This test has to be done at the civil surgeons office so the charge for you will be $149 if you are 15 and older.
Any vaccines you might want are at additional cost. Any X-Rays you might want cost extra.
The USCIS mandated Gonorrhea Test costs an additional $85. This test is a new requirement in form i693 as of August 01, 2016.
Statcare has convenient green card physical locations: the Astoria location is within walking distance from the subway , the Brooklyn location is above the Franklin Avenue subway stop and the Hicksville location is within walking distance from the LIRR . Statcare also has a green card physical location in the Bronx in Co-op City with convenient parking in the mall, as well as a second Bronx location at East 174th Street.
Statcare civil surgeons perform immigration medical exam services all 7 days a week at Hicksville, Long Island Astoria, NYC Brooklyn, NYC and the Bronx, NYC.
Statcare is convenient: You can come to Statcare until 8 PM on weekdays, and 5 PM on weekends and holidays. Statcare in Brooklyn is open until 9 PM on weekdays.
Statcare opens at 8 AM. For faster service, call us and book your visit now! Call 310-3371
Asylees Applying For Adjustment
Any asylee to the United States must undergo an immigration medical exam. This includes a vaccination assessment at the time of filing for an adjustment of status. However, under certain circumstances, you may not have to repeat an exam. For example, this applies if your medical examination took place overseas and:
- The results of the overseas medical examination in the A-file did not report a Class-A condition
- The asylee has applied for adjustment of status within one year of eligibility to file and
- Specific evidence in the A-file or testimony given at the interview that there is no evidence that the asylee acquired a Class-A condition after they entered into the United States.
*A-Files contain all records of any active case of an alien not yet naturalized. This applies to them as they pass through the U.S. immigration and inspection process.
You must establish compliance with the vaccination requirements. The applicant must submit the vaccination assessment with the adjustment of status application. In addition, the applicant must have the relevant parts of Form I-693 completed by the civil doctor to comply with the requirement.
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What Does An Immigration Exam Check For
The immigration exam checks for any medical reasons why it might be in the publics best interest to decline permanent residency. There are four reasons this might happen:
- A physical or mental disorder accompanied by harmful behavior
- Failure to produce mandatory vaccination records
- A history of drug addiction or abuse
- A positive test for an infectious disease, for example, tuberculosis
You can find out more information about the exam by calling Northeast Medical, PC or visiting the USCIS website.
Immigration Medical Exam In Minneapolis St Paul And Suburbs
An Immigration Medical Exam , including vaccinations, is required when people want to obtain lawful permanent resident status in the United States. All people who are filing for citizenship, immigrant visas and some non-immigrant visas, refugees and adjustments of status to that of a permanent resident must completed submit Form I-693 completed by a designated Civil Surgeon.
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Family Medicine & Primary Care Practice Located In Amherst Ny & Cheektowaga Ny
When you move to the United States with the intent to obtain a green card, you must go through several interviews along the way. One of these is an immigration exam to determine your health and well-being. A doctor must perform the exam, but it cant be just any doctor: They must be government-approved. Tajinderpal Singh, MD, is a civil surgeon, licensed to conduct immigration exams at Northeast Medical, PC in Amherst and Cheektowaga, New York. Find out more use the online inquiry form or call the office today.
Report Of Medical Examination And Vaccination Record
Before your medical examination, you can fill out Part 1, Information About You, of Form 1-693. Remember: do not sign it until the civil doctor tells you to sign it. You must sign it in the presence of the doctor.
From here on in, you merely attend your USCIS medical exam appointment and all follow-up examinations the doctor may require. If you have previous medical records on hand, including vaccination records, take them with you.
Form I-693 comes in a sealed envelope. If the envelope is opened or altered in any way, USCIS will return the form to you, so do not accept Form I-693 unless it is in a sealed envelope. The doctor should also give you a copy of the completed Form I-693.
You will need to submit your completed Form I-693 in a sealed envelope to USCIS. Follow the instructions on Form I-485, Application to Register for Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.
All other applicants undergoing consular processing must follow the instructions that the office requesting the medical examination gives them.
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These Technical Instructions Include:
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The Technical Instructions for Medical Examinations of Aliens in the U.S.
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The Tuberculosis Component of the Technical Instructions for the Medical Examination of Aliens in the U.S. 2008
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Adjustment of Status for U.S. Permanent Residence Requirements: Technical Instructions for Vaccinations 2009
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2010 Technical Instructions for Mental Disorders and Substance Abuse for Civil Surgeons 2013 Technical Instructions for Syphilis and Hansens Disease and
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Any updates to the documents listed above as published on CDCs website. Each of these documents and updates can be obtained from the CDCs website.
Electronic Disease Notification System
The Electronic Disease Notification system is a web-based system that notifies state or local health officials when immigrants with notifiable conditions and refugees arrive in their jurisdictions. EDN provides medical information recorded on the DS form during the application process to these health officials for stateside follow-up. EDN was launched on March 20, 2006 and is deployed to all states.
Please contact the EDN help desk. The e-mail address is , and the phone number is 1-866-226-1617.
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What Are The Tests Conducted At The Immigration Medical Exam
The immigration medical exam consists of your physical examination, medical review, chest X-ray, as well as blood tests for syphilis. For the physical exam, at the very least, you should expect an examination of the ears, eyes, nose, and throat, heart, extremities, lungs, lymph nodes, abdomen, and skin. In addition, for all green card applicants age 15 or older, the medical exam doctor must perform a blood test for syphilis and a urine test for gonorrhea regardless of whether the applicant is applying in the United States or abroad.
The immigration medical exam is not a complete physical exam. It cannot replace your full physical exam, diagnosis, consultation, or treatment plan you may need from your primary health care provider. Its only purpose is to screen for certain medical conditions for the completion of your immigration application process. The physician is not required to screen you for any other conditions except the ones specified by the United States Public Health Services for immigration purposes.
Cost Of Immigration Medical Exam
Costs for immigration medical exams can vary significant based on the country where it will be performed and the specific doctor. Prices can vary from $100 to over $400. The U.S. government doesnt set a standard fee. The cost will depend on the doctor you visit. Therefore, check with a few doctors to find out how much each one charges for the immigration medical exam.
You may also need to consider the indirect costs of the exam. In some cases, you may need to travel to the interview city early for the purposes of the medical exam.
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Validity Period For The Report Of Medical Examination And Vaccination Record
Effective August 12, 2021, USCIS is temporarily extending the validity period of an otherwise valid Form I-693 in cases where the civil surgeons signature on Form I-693 is dated no more than 60 days before the applicant files Form I-485 No more than 4 years have passed since the date of the civil surgeons signature and the decision on Form I-485 is issued on or before September 30, 2021.
Important Information For Women
All female applicants must complete the medical exam even if they are having a menstrual period.
In addition, women who are pregnant must have a chest X-ray, if required. They must, however, give prior consent to the doctor and must be provided additional protection during the procedure.
Pregnant women may also postpone the X-ray until after giving birth, but the X-ray must be completed before entering the United States or before completing a green card application, or Form I-485 .
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Uscis Doctors Civil Surgeons For Immigration
In order to best serve the people of New York, Statcare offers several services via our USCIS doctors. Our staff is ready to administer Immigration Medical Exams as well as understand the medical needs of our immigrant patients. En español
We are proud to say that we have four USCIS Civil Surgeons on our staff ready to help you. Not only do we offer the lowest prices for USCIS medical exams in the tri-state area, we also offer the green card medical exams at times that are convenient for you. As of October 1, 2018, a lot of rules surrounding immigration medical exams have changed. Any USCIS Civil Surgeon practice who hasnt kept up with the new rules will risk your green card application with the USCIS.