As part of your green card immigration application, you need to bring the medical form to a doctor in order to be cleared as healthy for immigration. This form, I-693, is not filled out by you. It is filled out by the doctor and then sent directly to immigration services. What happens at the appointment, and what do you need to do to get one? Learn more about the immigration medical exam below.

When You Need Your Exam

You might wonder at what point in the application process you need to complete your exam. If you already live in the United States and are applying for a change of status, you need to submit your medical test around the same time you file the other paperwork you're completing for the change of status. 

If you live outside the United States, the exam must be done by an approved panel doctor who is associated with the United States embassy. The immigration website can provide you with a list of providers that can provide medical clearance. 

Failure to submit the medical clearance will result in the application being rejected. Since application fees are not refundable, make sure you schedule your medical appointment in enough time to complete all your paperwork when you need it. Sometimes, the wait time for an appointment can be long. 

Testing for Diseases

One of the primary purposes of the medical exam is to check for certain illnesses. You will need to give several vials of blood during the appointment, which will be tested. Typically, immigration doctors need to check for syphilis and possibility of other communicable diseases.

You will also receive a skin test for tuberculosis. After the initial skin insertion test, you will have to return to have the results analyzed to make sure the tests comes back negative for tuberculosis. Most applicants also need to get a chest x-ray, which can provide a further diagnosis for tuberculosis or show history of TB in the past, since lungs can have permanent damage. 

Patients should honestly communicate their medical history. If positive for syphilis or other diseases, there needs to be evidence of sufficient treatment. 

Basic Physical

Finally, the basic physical will include an exam of all major body parts. You should expect an exam of breathing, hearing, sight, heart rate, and blood pressure. Finally, if you have not received any vaccinations or if your vaccines are out of date, you will need to receive all required vaccines for entry into the United States. These include, but are not limited to: polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis, rotavirus, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, and varicella. 

Keep in mind that this medical care may not be free of cost, so you should factor in the cost of vaccines and the examination into your immigration budget. 

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