USCIS and Immigration Medical Exams
Persons who seek the immigrate to the United States are required to undergo a medical examination. The purpose of the medical exam is to determine if the intending immigrant has any communicable diseases or other health issues that may render them inadmissible to the United States. For intending immigrants going through consular processing the medical examination is conducted abroad in the intending immigrants home country. For individuals who are already in the United States and are seeking to immigrate through the Adjustment of Status process, the medical examination is conducted by a designated Civil Surgeon. A Civil Surgeon is just a normal doctor who has been authorized by the USCIS to conduct medical exams for immigration purposes.
What Should I Expect at the Immigration Medical Exam?
An immigration medical exam is not a lot different than a routine physical exam. The exam is performed at the doctor's office. (Most Civil Surgeons are internal medicine doctors who also have a family medicine or similar practice and they operate out of a traditional doctor's office.) When the appointment is made the doctor may instruct the applicant to provide copies of previous medical records including vaccination records. The doctor will review these records. As is typical in a normal medical exam, the patient will usually be seen by a nurse who will check the patients vital signs and take any fluid samples that are required for testing. The nurse or technician will also likely assist in taking an x-rays or other tests which the doctor orders. The examination usually concludes with a routine physical exam by the doctor. The difference between the immigration exam and a traditional exam is that the Civil Surgeon will likely ask a lot more questions than a traditional doctor. These questions will be designed to illicit information about specific immigration related health issues such as sexually transmitted diseases, drug use, alcoholism and mental health related issues. While it is important to be candid with your doctor you should also remember that all of the information you share with the Civil Surgeon will be disclosed to the U.S. government.
What Sort of Medical Issues Are Screened for?
The best way to get a sense of what the immigration doctors screen for is to look at the form the doctor is required to complete for the USCIS. That form is I-693. If you would like to learn even more detailed information about what the exam involves you can review the CDC guidelines for panel physicians. As you can see on the form, the doctor will screen for a number of issues including:
Communicable diseases such as Tuberculosis, HIV, Syphilis, Gonorrhea
Physical or mental disorders with associated harmful behavior
Drug abuse or drug addiction
What is a physical or mental disorder with associated harmful behavior you ask? That phrase is specifically defined by the CDC as: An action associated with a mental or physical disorder that is or has caused: 1.) Serious psychological or physical injury to the applicant or to others (e.g., a suicide attempt or pedophilia); 2.) A serious threat to health or safety (e.g., driving while intoxicated or verbally threatening to kill someone); or 3.) Major property damage. Simply, put it could be any sort of physical or mental disorder that results in the person acting in a way that is harmful to other people or property. For example, simple depression can meet this definition if the depressive episode lead to a suicide attempt. Another example that could meet this definition would be a person with a mood disorder such as bipolar disorder who had an episode of aggressive or assaultive behavior.
The issue of drug abuse or addiction is an issue that commonly arises in the course of the medical exam. The doctor will always ask the applicant whether or not he or she has used any illegal or controlled substances in the past. This even includes marijuana. (While marijuana is now legal in many U.S. states it is still illegal under federal law.) An applicant who admits to using an illegal or controlled substance within the past year will likely be diagnosed with drug abuse or drug addiction and could be found inadmissible. This is generally true even if the applicant has only used an illegal or controlled substance once or twice in the last year. Under current law, there is no acceptable or “social” use of controlled substances. The evaluation is somewhat different with respect to alcohol. In order for an applicant's consumption of alcohol to be an issue for immigration purposes the alcohol consumption cause some associated harmful behavior or other medical issue. For example, an applicant who admits to regularly consuming alcohol and also has a prior conviction for drunk driving may be diagnosed with alcoholism. The same may be true of an applicant who exhibits medical issues that are often associated with alcoholism such as liver disease.
What vaccinations are required?
The doctor will also make sure you have had the following vaccinations:
Diphtheria
Tetanus
Polio
MMR or Measles, Mumps and Rubella
Haemophilus Influenzae Type b
Hepatitis B
Varicella
Pneumococcal
Influenza
Rotavirus
Hepatitis A
Meningococcal
Where do I go to get an immigration medical exam?
If you are in the United States and applying for lawful permanent residence through the Adjustment of Status process you will need to make an appointment with a Civil Surgeon in your area to have the require medical exam. Use the USCIS Find a Doctor tool to quickly find a designated Civil Surgeon in your area.
If you are applying for an immigrant visa at a U.S. consulate abroad you must follow the specific instructions of the processing post for obtaining your medical exam. The U.S. Department of State website has some general information and FAQs about medical exams.
When Do I Get My Immigration Medical Exam?
If you are applying for your visa abroad you must follow the processing embassy or consulate's specific instructions regarding the timing of the exam. If you are applying for lawful permanent residency in the United States there are two general rules about timing of the medical exam: 1.) Medical exams must be dated no earlier than 60 days before the application is submitted. The reference date is the date the Civil Surgeon signed Form I-693; and 2.) The I-693 remains valid for two years from the date it was signed by the Civil Surgeons.