seeing a civil surgeon

[qtie.kikay 1]

Hi! is it required for me to go to CS before i file my AOS?im just confused, what i read from the guidelines here in VJ and here it is in bold letters " Medical Examination of Aliens Seeking Adjustment of Status.I-693, Medical Examination of Aliens Seeking Adjustment of Status. If you are a K-1, K-2, K-3 or K-4 visa holder the I-693 instructions state that you are not required to have another medical examination as long as your Form I-485 is filed within one year of your overseas medical examination. If you are missing any shots from your overseas medical a I-693 vaccination transcription is required to be completed by seeing a Civil Surgeon to have certain portions of the I-693 completed and have the Civil Surgeon certify the form (sealing the original in an envelope and giving you a copy)." or i misunderstood it...thanks

What more shots do i need?

[gary9891 10]

Hi! is it required for me to go to CS before i file my AOS?im just confused, what i read from the guidelines here in VJ and here it is in bold letters " Medical Examination of Aliens Seeking Adjustment of Status.I-693, Medical Examination of Aliens Seeking Adjustment of Status. If you are a K-1, K-2, K-3 or K-4 visa holder the I-693 instructions state that you are not required to have another medical examination as long as your Form I-485 is filed within one year of your overseas medical examination. If you are missing any shots from your overseas medical a I-693 vaccination transcription is required to be completed by seeing a Civil Surgeon to have certain portions of the I-693 completed and have the Civil Surgeon certify the form (sealing the original in an envelope and giving you a copy)." or i misunderstood it...thanks

What more shots do i need?

Yes you are required to see a USCIS doctor and have him/her sign your I693. It is very likely you will need a few shots to finish off what immunizations you got at St. Lukes. I can't remember my wife's specific shots she needed. She had to have 3 total before the doc signed off her 693 form.

You are NOT required to have the full exam again if your St. Lukes medical is still valid (1 year ago or less). Unfortunately many CS docs either do not know this or want to scam you out of some money and insist you have a full medical again for several hundred dollars. Get a list of approved doctors from the USCIS website and start calling, hopefully you can find a doc who will review, give you 1 or 2 booster shots and sign your I-693.

[carton025 38]

Hi! is it required for me to go to CS before i file my AOS?im just confused, what i read from the guidelines here in VJ and here it is in bold letters " Medical Examination of Aliens Seeking Adjustment of Status.I-693, Medical Examination of Aliens Seeking Adjustment of Status. If you are a K-1, K-2, K-3 or K-4 visa holder the I-693 instructions state that you are not required to have another medical examination as long as your Form I-485 is filed within one year of your overseas medical examination. If you are missing any shots from your overseas medical a I-693 vaccination transcription is required to be completed by seeing a Civil Surgeon to have certain portions of the I-693 completed and have the Civil Surgeon certify the form (sealing the original in an envelope and giving you a copy)." or i misunderstood it...thanks

What more shots do i need?

[/quote

Yes, you are required to go to a CS before and in order to file your AOS. If you file you AOS within 1 year of your home country medical you are not required to have another complete medical performed. However, it would be in your best interest to have copies of your home country medical to show the USA CS all of the shots you have already had. It would also be in your best interest to visit your local health department and have any vaccinations and updates as needed based on your age. The USCIS is going to require you to have an I-693 signed by a USCIS CS.

Best wishes,

Sid

[Hank_ 9,174]

Hi! is it required for me to go to CS before i file my AOS?im just confused, what i read from the guidelines here in VJ and here it is in bold letters " Medical Examination of Aliens Seeking Adjustment of Status.I-693, Medical Examination of Aliens Seeking Adjustment of Status. If you are a K-1, K-2, K-3 or K-4 visa holder the I-693 instructions state that you are not required to have another medical examination as long as your Form I-485 is filed within one year of your overseas medical examination. If you are missing any shots from your overseas medical a I-693 vaccination transcription is required to be completed by seeing a Civil Surgeon to have certain portions of the I-693 completed and have the Civil Surgeon certify the form (sealing the original in an envelope and giving you a copy)." or i misunderstood it...thanks

What more shots do i need?

Yes you are required to see a civil surgeon you were given a (which I believe is a 3025) vaccination form, the CS will transcribe that information to the 693 put it in an envelope, seal it and hand it to you. If you need any vaccinations (that will be noted on your 3025) the CS will give those also and note them on the 693. You do not need to get a physical, yet I have read of CS that try to push one. You can do a search and get a list of CS in your area.

It took all of 20 minutes for my wife, no physical, no added shots. The CS transribed the vaccination info to the 693 then sealed it in an envelope and handed to her. Done.

[Tahoma 2,292]

If you got the usual shots at St. Lukes and you are filing your AOS within one year of your medical, then you are not required to get any more shots in the U.S. You already have all of the age-appropriate shots you need to AOS.

As a matter of fact, as a K-1'er, if you got all the usual shots at St. Lukes, you don't even need to go to a Civil Surgeon. Simply send in a copy of your DS-3025 with your AOS packet.

I-693 Instructions. See: Page 4; Section III; Question 2.C.2.

[JoBri 547]

We lived in Virginia when my wife first got here on a K3 Visa. We did the Civil Surgeon thing all through the mail and faxes. It was simple and cost maybe 40 or 50$.

[JoBri 547]

Here is a link to the VJ discussion of Dr Arnold, who we used. It was quick, easy, complete and painless.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"http://www.visajourn...mplete-the-693/

Last I heard she was doing the I-693 for $20 . That was awhile ago tho! She does/did them by phone and fax!

Dr. L. E. Arnold

4534 Westgate Boulevard, Suite 114

Austin, TX 78745

Tel: (512) 444-3131

Fax: (512) 447-4699"

Edited August 30, 2012 by Brijo

[Tahoma 2,292]

Dr. Arnold hasn't been a Civil Surgeon for quite some time now. Apparently, the USCIS had a problem with by-mail/by-fax I-693's.

Edited August 31, 2012 by Tahoma

[xtianj 10]

Two of my friends did not see civil surgeon, they just sent copy of their vaccination records. They were approved without rfe. I didn't either but my gc is on the way.:-) I am so blessed, my med exam was more than 3 yrs ago but they didn't request for it.

[JoBri 547]

Well, God blessed our journey in many ways. I checked into Dr. Arnold though, because he and his staff were very kind to us and did a great job. He was a wonderful family doctor in the Austin area, according to some of his former patients, and he retired at the age of 74 around November of 2010. Apparently, the USCIS had no problem with by-mail/by-fax I-693's. But perhaps that has changed since his retirement?

Dr. Arnold hasn't been a Civil Surgeon for quite some time now. Apparently, the USCIS had a problem with by-mail/by-fax I-693's.

[qtie.kikay 1]

Im just glad that my hubby is in military and i just checked that there are 3 doctors on base that is USCIS civil surgeon and no need to pay for anything!

[Tahoma 2,292]

Well, God blessed our journey in many ways. I checked into Dr. Arnold though, because he and his staff were very kind to us and did a great job. He was a wonderful family doctor in the Austin area, according to some of his former patients, and he retired at the age of 74 around November of 2010. Apparently, the USCIS had no problem with by-mail/by-fax I-693's. But perhaps that has changed since his retirement?

Check out VJ member jbmail's post.

From post #53:

OK, heres the latest. As far as Dr Arnold goes. Anyone who uses him, is risking that their papers will be rejected, at some point, someday, as the Civil Surgeon Code says that a CS MUST verify your identity IN PERSON before both parties sign off. I also read on the USCIS page ( don't ask me where), where it says basically the same thing, but I never saw it for 6 months, so it isn't easy to see. The director showed it to me and was willing to say that we made a mistake and it was NOT intentional FRAUD, for which would mean INSTANT DENIAL, and no motion could overturn that. So, here we go again. The FRAUD was determined to be on the doctors part.

As far as THIS office and THIS officer go, I ended up in a special meeting with the director and a different IO on Friday. They were VERY pleasant to me and the wife, and understood our plight, but the govt makes the rules and they are there for a reason. It didn't help that several foreign speaking couples were arguing loudly in the background while we tried to plead our case. We agreed and decided to move on and not fight this. How could we, its IN WRITING. There are memos going around the service centers about Dr Arnold, so its only a matter of time before things come to a halt. Was my immigration officer wrong?no, maybe saw a memo, or just more educated on fine-tuning the law than some others, I presume. I was told that IF Dr Arnold doesn't know this IN PERSON requirement, then he will soon enough, what ever that meant.

[JoBri 547]

Gotcha... Anyways....as I said, God blessed our journey in many ways.

He retire when his 47 year old daughter became terminally ill, since her mother already had died. His daughter died just about 1 year after that retirement.

Check out VJ member jbmail's post.

From post #53:

OK, heres the latest. As far as Dr Arnold goes. Anyone who uses him, is risking that their papers will be rejected, at some point, someday, as the Civil Surgeon Code says that a CS MUST verify your identity IN PERSON before both parties sign off. I also read on the USCIS page ( don't ask me where), where it says basically the same thing, but I never saw it for 6 months, so it isn't easy to see. The director showed it to me and was willing to say that we made a mistake and it was NOT intentional FRAUD, for which would mean INSTANT DENIAL, and no motion could overturn that. So, here we go again. The FRAUD was determined to be on the doctors part.

As far as THIS office and THIS officer go, I ended up in a special meeting with the director and a different IO on Friday. They were VERY pleasant to me and the wife, and understood our plight, but the govt makes the rules and they are there for a reason. It didn't help that several foreign speaking couples were arguing loudly in the background while we tried to plead our case. We agreed and decided to move on and not fight this. How could we, its IN WRITING. There are memos going around the service centers about Dr Arnold, so its only a matter of time before things come to a halt. Was my immigration officer wrong?no, maybe saw a memo, or just more educated on fine-tuning the law than some others, I presume. I was told that IF Dr Arnold doesn't know this IN PERSON requirement, then he will soon enough, what ever that meant.

Edited September 1, 2012 by Brijo

[Tahoma 2,292]

Apparently, the USCIS had no problem with by-mail/by-fax I-693's.

Whatever you say...

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

If you got the usual shots at St. Lukes and you are filing your AOS within one year of your medical, then you are not required to get any more shots in the U.S. You already have all of the age-appropriate shots you need to AOS.

As a matter of fact, as a K-1'er, if you got all the usual shots at St. Lukes, you don't even need to go to a Civil Surgeon. Simply send in a copy of your DS-3025 with your AOS packet.

I-693 Instructions. See: Page 4; Section III; Question 2.C.2.

Correct.

ETA: Wife was missing TDAP and Flu shot. We just showed the receipt from Kaiser when the AO asked if she received the rest of her shots.

Edited September 1, 2012 by The Patriot