Eligibility: When Is I
Any applicant living outside the U.S. must complete the Form I-693 medical exam in addition to the Form I-485. If the medical exam is not completed, or the Form I-693 is not submitted within the proper time frame, then their application will not be approved.
If an applicant fails to submit a completed Form I-693, immigration officers can issue a Request for Further Information or their Notice of Intent to Deny, or deny the applicant entry into the U.S. If all procedures are complied with but the officer has reason to believe the applicants medical has changed since the submission, they may request the applicant complete a second medical exam.
Certain applicants who were already examined abroad by a panel physician usually do not need to repeat the Form I-693 medical exam when applying for an adjustment of status after they have settled into the U.S. These include non-immigrant fiancés or spouses of U.S. citizens, spouses of lawful permanent residents, refugees and asylee dependents. Any applicant considering this should look up the current rules to ensure this applies to them.
What Should I Bring To My Exam
Having all of your documents ready before your appointment can help the medical exam go smoothly. Heres what youll need to bring with you:
- Your immunization or vaccination records
- A copy of your medical history
- Copies of any previous chest X-rays, if any
- A letter from your regular doctor outlining the treatment plan for any health problems you have
- A government-issued photo ID, such as your passport, state ID, drivers license, travel permit, or work permit
- Payment for the medical exam fee
- Your health insurance card, if any
You must also bring an additional document, depending on where youre applying from:
Items To Bring To Your Medical Examination:
The doctor will need the following items to complete the medical exam forms:
- Your visa interview appointment letter,
- Your DS-260 confirmation page,
- If any, a copy of your immunization records ,
- If you suffer from a chronic illness, have been treated for any disease, ever had any important operation, or are under psychiatric care, doctors recommend you to present your medical file during examination,
- If you are using medicine, bring their names or the boxes of your medicine,
- If you are using glasses, bring your glasses with you,
- Women who are pregnant are required to have a Chest X-Ray to immigrate. Please be aware that if you do not prefer to have a Chest X-Ray your medical report will not be completed until the end of your pregnancy. Please consult your obstetrician, own physicians regarding your health concerns on this subject and go to the panel physicians office with your final decision with a written document by your doctor.
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Medical Exam Validity For I
Applicants for Employment-Based Adjustment of Status are required to submit a completed medical exam in order to be approved for lawful permanent residence status . The purpose of the medical exam is to establish that an applicant is not inadmissible on public-health grounds. USCIS currently recommends that Employment-Based applicants submit their completed medical exam along with their I-485 application for efficient processing. Questions often arise regarding how long a medical exam remains valid, and this depends on whether the civil surgeon completing the exam signed it before or after the AOS application is filed.
If the medical is signed by the civil surgeon before the AOS application is filed, the civil surgeons signature date cannot be more than 60 days before the AOS filing date. In other words, when filing the medical exam along with the I-485 application, the medical must have been signed within the past 60 days. If it was signed more than 60 days before the I-485 application is received by USCIS, the medical is not valid and a new medical exam will be requested by USCIS before the green card can be approved.
How Do I Know If My Medical Examination Report Has Expired And I Need To Bring A New One To The Interview
QUESTION: I have just been scheduled for my green card interview. How do I know if my medical examination report has expired and I need to bring a new one to the interview?
THE IMMIGRATION ANSWER MAN ARI SAUER: Almost all applicants for Adjustment of Status must submit a Report of Medical Examination at some point in the process. We are no longer required to submit the I-693 together with the I-485 application, although we still have the option to do so.
On November 1, 2018, USCIS changed the rules regarding how long the I-693 remains valid. The rules are now different depending on whether the I-693 was submitted before or after November 1, 2018.
Where the I-693 is submitted to USCIS after November 1, 2018, if a) the I-693 was signed by the doctor after the I-485 was filed or b) the I-693 was signed by the doctor 60 days or less prior to the I-485 being filed, then the I-693 will remain valid for 2 years from the date that the doctor signed the I-693.
So if the I-485 was filed before the I-693 was signed by the doctor or the I-485 was filed no more than 60 days after the doctor signed the I-693, you will only need to obtain a new I-693 if it has been more than 2 years since the doctor signed the I-693 and USCIS still has not approved your I-485 application.
If the I-485 was filed more than 60 days after the doctor signed the I-693, then the I-693 is no longer valid and you will have to obtain a new one.
Form I-693 was submitted to USCIS on or after November 1, 2018
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During The Medical Exam:
The medical examination will include a medical history review, physical examination, and chest x-ray, blood test and urine test. Please be prepared to discuss your medical history, medications you are taking, and current treatments you are undergoing. More information on general medical requirements for U.S. immigrants is available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
If Youre Applying For A Green Card From Abroad
When to schedule: You may schedule your medical exam only once youve received your green card interview appointment letter from the National Visa Center , which is part of the State Department that processes green card applications for relatives living abroad. The State Department explicitly instructs family members seeking a green card from abroad not to schedule their medical exam until theyre notified of their green card interview date.
How to schedule: Far in advance of receiving your appointment letter, search for your U.S. embassy or consulate, which provides instructions for the medical exam, as well as contact information on authorized doctors in each country. You will need to select a doctor yourself . Its generally best to set up your appointment as soon as you receive an interview appointment date from the NVC.
When you schedule your appointment, make sure to let the doctors office know that you seek a medical exam to immigrate to the United States.
The exam results will be valid for six months .
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After Completing Adjustment Of Status K
Once you have completed all of the above steps and have been approved for your adjustment of status, you will receive your conditional green card. Your conditional green card is only valid for two years. This is for the USCIS to ensure that, after two years, your marriage is still bonafide and lawful. After the two years, you and your spouse are allowed to file Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, which you will file jointly as a couple. Upon acceptance, you will be granted your legal permanent residency card with no constraints or conditions.
The Uscis Civil Surgeon
Now, a civil surgeon isnt just any old doctor in the United States. Theres a USCIS website that will provide people going through the immigration process with the names and addresses of these authorized doctors who can complete your medical exam. Otherwise, you can acquire these from a USCIS field office.
If you just type in USCIS civil surgeon, you can put in your zip code. And theyll show you all the civil surgeons or the USCIS-designated civil surgeons that are near you.
When you go to the civil surgeon, you will provide them with whatever vaccination records you have. And then theyll take a brief health history from you theyll ask you about drug use, and then they will have you fill out Form I-693. And they will work on the form with you, and they will provide the civil surgeons signature on your medical clearance to be admitted into the United States.
If you have tuberculosis or if you have other kinds of diseases, those things can come up in your medical exam or your immigration medical examination. And you are going to receive a sealed envelope from the USCIS civil surgeon.
You will then include that with your application, either at the beginning when you file Form I-693 to the office requesting the documents or right before your interview.
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After The Medical Exam:
When your examination is completed, the doctor will either send your exam results electronically to the Embassy or provide you with exam results in a sealed envelope, depending on your case category. DO NOT OPEN THIS ENVELOPE. Instead, bring it to your visa interview.
If your case is not electronic, Any x-rays taken will be given to you on a CD. You DO NOT need to bring the CD to your visa interview. However, you must carry the x-rays with you when you travel to the United States for the first time. However, if your case was submitted electronically you will not be given a CD, your chest x-ray images will be electronically transferred.
The panel site will email a copy of the U.S. Department of State vaccination documentation worksheet that is filled in by the doctor. Please DO NOT lose your copy for your vaccination documentation sheet, and keep it to yourself, make several copies because it will be asked by many authorities after arrival. The panel site will not be able to provide it again if you ask it later.
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How We Can Help
The K-1 visa adjustment of status process is a complicated one, as it includes many forms to fill out and an interview to prepare for. The process can also be intense, so having the guidance of an experienced immigration attorney can help alleviate any stress that may come with your K-1 visa adjustment of status application. The experienced Chicago attorneys at Scott D Pollock & Associates P.C. can be with you every step of the way through your K-1 visa adjustment of status process.
With over 70 years of combined experience, our lawyers are well-equipped to provide insight, guidance, and support as you start your journey to United States residency. If you have any questions about your immigration pathway, please call us at 312.444.1940 or fill out an online form today. We look forward to hearing from you!
What Doctor Do I Need To See
I-693 doctors have two different types. The right type for an applicant to see depends on whether the applicant is applying from within or outside the U.S. A medical exam performed by anyone not accredited with the following titles will not be accepted.
Applicants within the U.S. will need to see a civil surgeon appointed and accredited by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services . A civil surgeon is a licensed doctor who has worked in their chosen specialization for at least 4 years. They are accountable for maintaining their standards and meeting all rules set out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S.
Applicants will need to find a civil surgeon to make an appointment for a medical exam. The USCIS website has a Find the Doctor webpage for this function. Applicants outside the U.S will need to see a panel physician authorized by the U.S Department of State. Panel physicians will perform a medical exam in the U.S Embassy or a consulate in the applicants country. A list of available panel physicians will be sent to the applicant once their interview has been scheduled.
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What Is A Form I
The official name for the immigration Form I-693 is the Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record. This form must be completed by the applicant and an appointed doctor before it can be submitted.
The Form I-693 medical exam is not a comprehensive exam for all health-related reasons. It is an exam to check for certain types of medical issues that are of interest to immigration agencies and legislation. The doctor is not required to check, diagnose, or provide treatment for problems outside of this interest. The medical exam does not involve surgery.
Throughout the exam, the doctor will go through the applicants medical history. They will also perform a basic physical examination. The doctor will be searching for evidence of the following in particular:
- Diseases that easily spread from person to person
- A history of drug abuse or addiction to drugs
- Physical or mental disorders that may lead to harmful behavior towards others and
- Conditions that prevent an applicant from being able to sustain themselves.
To test for transmissible diseases, the doctor will conduct a tuberculosis test, a blood test and a urine test. They will also perform drug and alcohol screenings, including checking an applicants prescription use.
The doctor will check that an applicant has had all the required vaccinations. This can update frequently so the current list should be checked before starting an immigration application. The required I-693 vaccines currently include:
How To Avoid The I
Now generally, we actually have a little split in the office. Most of the people around here in the office like to submit the medical exam or the completed form right away with the initial application. But sometimes, that slows the case down, and I like to get the case out the door. I like to get that receipt number. I like to get the case underway.
The regulations provide that if you dont submit the completed form with the medical exams right at the beginning, you can also submit it at the interview itself. The officer will take the sealed envelope. Obviously, you cant open that envelope beforehand, and they will go through and open it up. And theyll read through the results of the medical exams, and theyll make sure that you are okay to be admitted into the United States, considering your health-related grounds, or let you know if there is a need to adjust status on your end.
To avoid adjudication delays with the report of the medical examination, we prefer to do it later. Heres why:
So my personal recommendation is to wait after you have filed your case and have received your interview notice to go obtain your medical examination results.
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Connect With Us Today
What you learned above are ways to avoid the I-693 deficiency notice or when to submit Form I-693.
So, if you have questions about the medical exam for your application for permanent residence, or about civil surgeons, or about the I-693, give us a call at 314-325-1041. You can email us at Be sure to join us in our Facebook group. Its called Immigrant Home. We share a lot of good information in there every day about the immigration scene in America. And if you like this video, we ask that you subscribe to our YouTube channel and share it out on social whenever you can. Thanks a lot. Have a great day.
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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If Youre Applying From Within The United States
When to schedule: You have two options as far as when to schedule your appointment:
1. Schedule it before you begin the green card application process. In this case, you would submit your medical exam results with your application package . This process is known as concurrent filing. You are not required to do it this way.
IMPORTANT: If you choose to include the medical exam results with your green card application, the medical exam results, Form I-693, must be signed by a civil surgeon no more than60 daysbefore the green card application is submitted. If the doctor signed the form more than 60 days before you submitted your green card application, then you should rather hold on to it and send it after youve filed the green card application or bring it to the interview. That way, you wouldnt have to repeat the medical exam. The medical results form is valid for two years, so an applicant should make sure to send it or bring it to the interview before the two-year expiration.
2. Schedule it after filing your green card application package. In this case, you can either send your medical exam results to USCIS soon after submitting your green card application or bring the results with you to your green card interview. If choosing this option, the results are valid for four years from when the doctor signed the form. Note the validity period is usually two years, but USCIS has temporarily extended the validity to four years to account for COVID-19 processing delays.
