January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

Just received a RFE for my medical (which of course does not show on the USCIS website)

I'm not sure if they want only the vaccination part, if I have to do a turberculin skin test, if i have to redo everything, etc.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=189074

[Pam&Josh 0]

I am sorry you got an RFE for your medical!

I 've seen your topic, and if I were you, I would also do the entire medical, even if it sucks for the cost!!

The way they explain the RFE doesn't seem to be clear... so, yes, better safe than sorry; especially if maybe they lost the DS-3025!!

Good luck to you in getting them what they want or need!

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

I have an appointment with the civil surgeon this afternoon. They say it costs $150 for the whole medical + additional costs for vaccines if needed. Which I shouldn't need since I've done everything in the past.

Hopefully once I send the RFE back they approve my AOS and send me my green card very fast, without an interview.

[Pam&Josh 0]

Yeah! I am hoping they will approve you!! It's been a long time for you now... ahh uscis

and being approved without an interview is so so much better!!

I cross my fingers for you!!

[JeroenAndMichelle 28]

Wow Cécile, sorry to hear you received an RFE. Weird they did RFE you and not me, while I never gave them my extra things until I had the interview... or is this maybe because they transferred your package to CSC for approval without interview? hmm.. either way, I hope you know more soon so you can also bring the wait till an end.

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

Yes I think it has to do with the fact that my package was transferred to CSC. Also, I think that USCIS has lost my medical (and from what I've read on VJ this seems to happen a lot). Maybe they didn't lose yours.

On the AOS October topic there's someone who was approved without an interview (probably after transfer to CSC) and they hadn't done the i-693 either. So it just depends.

[Levi_Heather 0]

Hi Cecile, I read what has happened with your RFE. I hope you're able to get it worked out soon and you can get the AOS shortly. Its been a bit of a wait for you. I'm beginning to think maybe the tranfer to CSC isn't that great as lots who stayed at the local office are already getting interviews and their cards.

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

I don't mind the wait so far, as long as I am in the USA with my husband and that I have my EAD (although I haven't found a job yet), but I hope it doesn't take 6 more months because then I would start thinking something is wrong!

I had my medical exam Monday, my blood tests yesterday and I'm going back tomorrow to see the results of the blood test and the tuberculosis skin test (which is turning positive since I had the BCG vaccine as a child), and hopefully it will all be finished soon!

[JeroenAndMichelle 28]

Yes I think it has to do with the fact that my package was transferred to CSC. Also, I think that USCIS has lost my medical (and from what I've read on VJ this seems to happen a lot). Maybe they didn't lose yours.

On the AOS October topic there's someone who was approved without an interview (probably after transfer to CSC) and they hadn't done the i-693 either. So it just depends.

you might be right about that, it would make perfect sense anyways and I don't think USCIS is easy in admitting their mistakes also.

[bowlers in MI 0]

hi, there! my fiance applied the petition last january 2009 and we had NOA1 29th jan. he mailed back RFE around march 25 and each time we check our case online it says 'pending' (we were touched once only - 17th march). now my fiance is on business travel outside US (he's here now with me!! till may 2nd and we dont have any way to check our status other than online USCIS but still to no avail. we're only both hoping and praying that his mails are now full of approvals and we'll work on them soon as he comes back to Michigan.

anyway, good luck to you and to all of us who are still waiting. i'm positive everything will turn out right in God's time. thanks for your time reading this.

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

Here's a summary of my week! Copied/pasted from my 'rfe for medical' topic (so don't read if you've already read it! )

Monday I went to the civil surgeon to have the physical medical, and the TB skin test. I didn't have any records from my previous medical (in France, to get the K1) but I had my French health book where my doctors had put every vaccine I had. Also I had a paper that proved I had the first 2 shots of the HPV vaccine here in the USA (waiting for next month to do the third). The doctor also gave me a sheet with the blood tests I had to do.

This visit cost me $150 for medical + $30 for TB test = $180

Next day, Tuesday, I went to get the blood test done. It took only 5 minutes (waiting time + test) I'm amazed I didn't have to wait longer. Insurance covered this.

Thursday I went back to the doctor office to show her my reaction to the TB skin test, positive of course as I had the BCG vaccine as a kid (one of its secondary effects is to give wrong TB skin test results apparently). So she ordered me to go get a chest X-ray. She also got the blood test results, everything was fine.

So then I went to get my X-ray done. Insurance covered that too.

And today (Friday) I went back to the CS's office, she said my x-ray was fine, no apparent TB symptoms. She finished filling out the I-693 form and then she told me I should still take a treatment against TB because it may mean that I have a dormant TB (which I'm pretty sure I don't, it's only the BCG vaccine, as she even said the first day I told her). She said that some jobs, in healthcare mostly, will require me to have the treatment done. I don't plan on working in healthcare at this point so I'm not sure it's worth bothering, the treatment is 9 months long or something like that...

Anyway, then I went to the post office and sent my RFE back to USCIS. I'm done for now, now I can start waiting again

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

hi, there! my fiance applied the petition last january 2009 and we had NOA1 29th jan. he mailed back RFE around march 25 and each time we check our case online it says 'pending' (we were touched once only - 17th march). now my fiance is on business travel outside US (he's here now with me!! till may 2nd and we dont have any way to check our status other than online USCIS but still to no avail. we're only both hoping and praying that his mails are now full of approvals and we'll work on them soon as he comes back to Michigan.

anyway, good luck to you and to all of us who are still waiting. i'm positive everything will turn out right in God's time. thanks for your time reading this.

Welcome Rizamike1. This topic was started last year (we applied for a K1 in January 2008) but it is still alive because now that most of us are with our spouses, we still want to keep touch with our fellow Jan 2008 filers.

I hope you will have good news when your fiance checks his mailbox when he's back to Michigan! But even if there's no good news yet, don't worry and remember that this visa process takes time. Hopefully you will be together again soon.

[JeroenAndMichelle 28]

she told me I should still take a treatment against TB because it may mean that I have a dormant TB (which I'm pretty sure I don't, it's only the BCG vaccine, as she even said the first day I told her). She said that some jobs, in healthcare mostly, will require me to have the treatment done

If you plan on having a kid within the first 9 months, you better not take that stuff either as it can seriously influence the outcome of your pregnancy. My wife has inactive TB (so she has a skinreading but her xray is normal) and when she heard that from the healthclinic, she decided not to go with it right now but wait a few years. Reason was that she wants to have a kid (which is why she is pregnant now haha).

Also, maybe it is in your state like that with the healthcare but over here it is perfectly ok to work with a positive skintest (my wife works in the healthcare as RN at the moment). Only active TB (positive xray) would be a problem.

So, like you said, nothing to worry for right now

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

Thanks, I didn't know about the pregnancy issue due to the treatment. We're not planning on getting pregnant in the next 9 months so it shouldn't be an issue, but it's still good to know!

[JeroenAndMichelle 28]

No problem, I'm happy to be of some help.. and indeed, even if you're not planning, who knows you might want to have it later on and if you're doing that treatment all the sudden, then you would have to wait :S