What is the immigration medical exam?
As you most probably know by now, a green card gives the holder the right to permanently live and work in the United States of America and gives you almost the same rights as a citizen of the USA. Getting your green card in the USA is not an easy process.
There are many hoops that you need to jump through and one of these is a medical exam. After you received your green card interview appointment letter from the National Visa Center (NVC), you may schedule an appointment to get an immigration medical examination.
But why is this necessary? The reason why you need a medical examination is so that the Department of State (DOS) and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) can identify certain health-related issues that would lead to the application being rejected.
The reason for that is because the number one priority of the DOS and USCIS is to keep the citizens of the USA safe and some of these conditions could be detrimental to their well-being.
The reason for that is because the number one priority of the DOS and USCIS is to keep the citizens of the USA safe and some of these conditions could be detrimental to their well-being.
These conditions include communicable diseases that could threaten public health, not being vaccinated against vaccine-prevented diseases, physical or mental disorders with harmful behavior or drug abuse, and drug addiction.
Communicable diseases that could threaten public health include tuberculosis, syphilis, gonorrhea, and Hansen’s disease (leprosy)
In this article, we will explore the process of getting your immigration medical examination done, what you can expect and how to do it the fastest way through trusted professionals with years of experience.
Who should get the examination?
A status adjuster is someone who is applying to have their status in the USA changed to a permanent one. Immigrants, refugees, and status adjusters are compelled to get the examination done in the United States by a civil surgeon or in their own country by a panel physician before coming into the USA. Additionally, migrants who entered the USA without inspection or proper documentation also need to undergo the examination.
If you have any doubts if you are obliged to take the examination or if you have taken it in your home country by n panel physician already, it is best to confirm with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to confirm.
When should you get the examination?
The process of applying for your Green Card is different depending on your circumstances and your location. For this section, we will only explore the option of applying for your green card from within the USA.
We will not cover the green card application process in detail as you probably have gone through all the gates already by the time you are reading this article. The only part we will focus on is directly before, during, and after the compulsory immigration medical examination.
So when should you have the medical examination done? In short, you may only schedule an appointment to get an immigration medical examination after you received your green card interview appointment letter from the National Visa Center (NVC).
Once you obtained the appointment letter, you can find the closest approved civil surgeon designated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in your hometown but make sure that you do your research and that you go to the correct accredited medical center. There have been numerous reports of scams surrounding the medical examination so be careful that you are not lured into a trap with false promises, fake guarantees, and extremely low prices.
What tests could I expect to get and why choose us?
The medical examination is divided into different sections. It entails a physical examination, an evaluation for tuberculosis, blood tests for syphilis, and vaccine inspections. The doctor will ask you about your vaccine history and make sure that you received the necessary vaccines.
You will be inspected for vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, rubella, mumps, polio, influenza hepatitis A, hepatitis B tetanus and diphtheria, toxoids, Haemophilus influenza type B, meningococcal disease, pertussis pneumococcal pneumonia, rotavirus, and varicella. If you are missing any of the required vaccines, in most cases, the doctor would be able to supply you with the appropriate vaccine.
You will also be required to take a test called the Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) where your lungs would be examined for signs of tuberculosis and other threatening conditions. If the IGRA reveals signs of tuberculosis, you would be asked to return in order to get an X-ray for further testing.
In addition to blood tests for syphilis, you would also need to submit urine for a test where they will test for gonorrhea.
The interviews and tests could take anything from 45 minutes to 1 hour.
What steps should I take to get it done as soon as possible?
Once you have received your appointment letter from the National Visa Center (NVC), it is time to find an accredited medical center. Once you have found one, make an appointment and start to prepare for your examination.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to memorize anything for your examination like in school! What we mean by ‘prepare’ is that we advise you to take all the necessary steps to make the process smoother for you. There are certain things that you need to prepare and bring along with you so that the process goes as smoothly as possible and that you won’t have to return later to finish the process.
Here are some things that you need to prepare and bring to the appointment.
• A government-issued photo ID. These include official documents such as your passport, state identification document, driver’s license, travel permit, or work permit. Your passport would be more than sufficient proof of official identification so we recommend bringing it along to your exam.
• Your immunization or vaccination records. If you have a vaccination passport or any other form of supporting evidence, proving which vaccines or immunizations you received in the past, bring it along with you.
• Copies of any previous chest X-rays if you have any recent ones.
• A letter from your regular doctor outlining the treatment plan for any health problems you have or any prescriptions that you are on.
• Payment for the medical exam fee. Be on the safe side and bring cash. A broken or offline card machine could frustrate you and waste time.
• You’re health insurance card if you have one.
Now that you have everything prepared, you are ready for your examination. Make sure that you arrive well before your appointment. Some medical centers or doctors are very busy and when you miss your appointment, you need to make another appointment which may not be soon.
Make sure that you are well-rested and well-hydrated before going to the examination. Make sure that you don’t use any type of drug other than the ones that were prescribed to you by your doctor of which you have proof.
As stated before, it takes between 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete the examination. Once you have completed the examination, the doctor will ask you to sign the form. Make sure you do that because the USCIS will not accept the form if you didn’t sign it.
If all your tests went well, the doctor will give you a sealed envelope with your results and the completed I-693 form that you can take with you to your appointment with the National Visa Center (NVC). An I-693 form is a report that includes your personal details and health information following a medical examination.
If extra tests are needed, like an X-ray of the chest if the Interferon Gamma Release Assay examination was inconclusive, the doctor will instruct you on the next steps. Remember not to break the seal of the envelope or open it before going to the NVC. Sometimes doctors will give you a copy of the results that you can keep.
Where should I get it done?
We cannot emphasize enough that you should be careful when selecting a doctor or medical center to do your immigration medical examination. As stated before, you should be careful not to get scammed. Make sure that your doctor is an approved civil surgeon designated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or your results will be rejected and you’ll have to do it all over again.
St. Andrews Medical Center in Los Angeles has accredited civil surgeons designated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and they have years of experience in assisting patients to complete the immigration medical examination.
Their years of experience contribute to first-class service and a smooth process that will send you on your way to getting your green card in no time. They offer the complete test (at a very affordable price) which includes:
• RPS (syphilis test),
• Tuberculosis test
• Gonorrhea Test
• Complete i693 Report
• Flu Shot
Get in contact with the friendly professional staff at St. Andrew’s Medical Center, Los Angeles to take the next step closer to getting your green card and starting your own American Dream.
