How long are medical examinations valid for

As of late October , the Biden administration, unveiled plans to revamp the definition of the infamous public charge rule. Back to Top skip to main content. Jonathan A. Grode Dana Imperia Brian J. Halliday Marin K. Ritter Emily M. Green and Spiegel U. By continuing to browse this website you accept the use of cookies.

Click here to read more about how we use cookies. Derek Maka. To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog:. Send Print Report. At the same time, USCIS are shortening the I validity period to 60 days from the date the Civil Surgeon signs the I medical exam it used to be one year and before the I filing.

Then, in , USCIS changed their policy and restricted the validity of the submitted I to one year which has resulted in a continuous loop of I requests for evidence due to expiring or expired I medicals. The goal behind this policy change is to minimize the number of I RFEs which are being issued only due to expiring I medicals.

In conjunction with the two-year I medical exam validity from the date of its submission, USCIS is now requiring I medicals to be filed with I within 60 days of the date the Civil Surgeon signs the medical exam. This will require very careful planning for initial I filings, I RFE responses where medicals are requested or attending I interviews where updated or initial I medical exams must be submitted. Under the prior policy, many I applicants would go ahead and complete the I medical exam and then keep it in their file for up to one year before they submit to USCIS.

This certainly helps with planning for an upcoming current priority date or upcoming I interview when the medical exam is due to be submitted. The new policy will require much closer coordination of the completion of the I medical exam process and the filing of the medical exam with USCIS. We invite you to review our I filing strategies article for additional information and pointers regarding I medical exams including whether to include the medical exam proactively or submit at a later time to USCIS.

Below is a table which illustrates the validity of the I medical exams for I cases filed after November 1, The Technical Instructions for Panel Physicians have an addendum regarding polio vaccination requirements for immigrants. For vaccines requiring a series, only a single dose is required for immigration purposes, except for the COVID vaccine series. The applicant should also be counseled to complete the series in the future. For COVID, applicants are required to complete the primary vaccine series 1 or 2 doses depending on the vaccine before the medical examination can be considered complete.

The applicant needs to check with USCIS to obtain the application for a waiver based on religious or moral conviction. It is a separate application process to obtain an individual waiver based on religious or moral conviction.

A list of civil surgeons doctors in the United States who perform medical examinations for persons adjusting their status to permanent residency is available at USCIS — Find a Doctor external icon. Prospective civil surgeons must apply for civil surgeon designation using Form I, Application for Civil Surgeon Designation external icon with US Citizenship and Immigration Services USCIS , must have at least 4 years of professional experience, not including time spent in residency or training, an unrestricted license to practice medicine in the state in which they are conducting the immigration medical examinations, and be authorized to work in the United States.

CDC is responsible for providing the technical instructions to civil surgeons conducting medical examinations for immigration. The instructions , along with important updates, are available on our website. The instructions , along with important updates, are available on the CDC website. General information concerning civil surgeons and the medical examination required for immigration purposes is also available on the USCIS website external icon.

The blanket designation of health departments as civil surgeons applies only to physicians conducting the vaccination assessment for refugees adjusting status. Also, only health departments that have a physician or physicians meeting the requirements for civil surgeon designation can participate in this designation, and accepting the designation is entirely voluntary on the part of health departments. The vaccination section of the technical instructions includes information on the blanket designation of health departments as civil surgeons for the vaccination assessment of refugees, as well as the instructions for completing the vaccination assessment for refugees.

USCIS policy also allows for blanket designation for military physicians to complete all parts of the immigration medical examination for service members, veterans, and their eligible dependents at military treatment facilities. You must contact the USCIS concerning request for changes to the civil surgeon listing including address, phone number, and addition of physicians in your office. For the I Medical Examination, the civil surgeon will complete all components.

This includes the physical examination, all required testing, as well as the next dose of any age-appropriate required vaccines.