Vaccination supplement / I-693 ???

[JM2008 0]

I am about to file the I-485 for my wife, who arrived from the Philippines a couple months ago. Naturally, we have since gotten married. :-)

In conjunction with her medical exam at St. Luke's, she received a vaccination supplement. The I-485 instructions say she merely needs to submit a vaccination supplement, yet I have heard through word of mouth that she may need to file a I-693 to serve as a vaccination supplement - that the supplement she received from St. Luke's isn't sufficient.

If she needs to have a civil surgeon sign off an I-693 to serve as the vaccination supplement -

- what vaccinations does the USCIS require?

- how much do the vaccinations cost?

- how much does a civil surgeon charge for merely signing off the form?

- if I submit the I-485 without the appropriate vaccination supplement, will it be put on hold or simply sent back to me? If it's put on hold, how much time would we have for her to get the appropriate vaccinations?

- what experiences do others in here have with getting the vaccination supplement signed off and/or receiving the vaccinations from a USCIS civil surgeon (such as location, appointment times, cost, etc.)

Thanks :-)

[rheanick 42]

I am about to file the I-485 for my wife, who arrived from the Philippines a couple months ago. Naturally, we have since gotten married. :-)

In conjunction with her medical exam at St. Luke's, she received a vaccination supplement. The I-485 instructions say she merely needs to submit a vaccination supplement, yet I have heard through word of mouth that she may need to file a I-693 to serve as a vaccination supplement - that the supplement she received from St. Luke's isn't sufficient.

If she needs to have a civil surgeon sign off an I-693 to serve as the vaccination supplement -

- what vaccinations does the USCIS require? - only those marked incomplete by St Luke's, normally due to insufficient time

- how much do the vaccinations cost? - depends on the vaccine, if you will have it from your health center, it would be cheaper. I did not pay anything coz i used my medical insurance

- how much does a civil surgeon charge for merely signing off the form? - USD 30, Dr Arnold from Texas

- if I submit the I-485 without the appropriate vaccination supplement, will it be put on hold or simply sent back to me? If it's put on hold, how much time would we have for her to get the appropriate vaccinations? - others did not receive RFE, while others did. I could not comment on the hold time.

- what experiences do others in here have with getting the vaccination supplement signed off and/or receiving the vaccinations from a USCIS civil surgeon (such as location, appointment times, cost, etc.) - i used Dr Arnold, quite easy. After sending out my I-693 form to texas, i received my sealed I-693 letter within 7 days.

Thanks :-)

Edited April 7, 2009 by rheanick

[cEzYcHiC 0]

I am about to file the I-485 for my wife, who arrived from the Philippines a couple months ago. Naturally, we have since gotten married. :-)

In conjunction with her medical exam at St. Luke's, she received a vaccination supplement. The I-485 instructions say she merely needs to submit a vaccination supplement, yet I have heard through word of mouth that she may need to file a I-693 to serve as a vaccination supplement - that the supplement she received from St. Luke's isn't sufficient.

If she needs to have a civil surgeon sign off an I-693 to serve as the vaccination supplement -

- what vaccinations does the USCIS require? Depends. Vaccines vary by age. If your fiancee had a HPV 1st shot at SLEC, she needs to have the 2nd dose, 2 months after the 1st shot.

- how much do the vaccinations cost? It varies depending on the vaccines she needs to have. I guess it would be much cheaper if she has medical insurance or she could obtain those vaccines in your local health center.

- how much does a civil surgeon charge for merely signing off the form? VJ suggests Dr. L.E. Arnold's services which gives out a nominal fee of $30. But you are free to scroll in the USCIS website for civil surgeons close to your place. I guess the charge would be most likely around $250.

- if I submit the I-485 without the appropriate vaccination supplement, will it be put on hold or simply sent back to me? If it's put on hold, how much time would we have for her to get the appropriate vaccinations? Most got an RFE for I-693. Others didn't got any even by submitting the DS-3025 only. It's a case-to-case basis. The sooner time you respond for the RFE, the sooner your case will be processed.

- what experiences do others in here have with getting the vaccination supplement signed off and/or receiving the vaccinations from a USCIS civil surgeon (such as location, appointment times, cost, etc.) Got Dr. Arnold's services too. He does the work fast with the least fee. Just leave a message at his answering machine with your name and contact number and they will get back to you ASAP. Don't be fooled with other USCIS affiliated Civil Surgeons saying that your fiancee needs a full medical and transcribing the vaccination supplement for a $250 fee. Good Luck!

Thanks :-)

[o0pink0o 3]

Can anyone send the contact num and address of Dr. Arnold?

JM2008, thanks for bringing up this questions

[JM2008 0]

I am about to file the I-485 for my wife, who arrived from the Philippines a couple months ago. Naturally, we have since gotten married. :-)

In conjunction with her medical exam at St. Luke's, she received a vaccination supplement. The I-485 instructions say she merely needs to submit a vaccination supplement, yet I have heard through word of mouth that she may need to file a I-693 to serve as a vaccination supplement - that the supplement she received from St. Luke's isn't sufficient.

If she needs to have a civil surgeon sign off an I-693 to serve as the vaccination supplement -

- what vaccinations does the USCIS require? Depends. Vaccines vary by age. If your fiancee had a HPV 1st shot at SLEC, she needs to have the 2nd dose, 2 months after the 1st shot.

- how much do the vaccinations cost? It varies depending on the vaccines she needs to have. I guess it would be much cheaper if she has medical insurance or she could obtain those vaccines in your local health center.

- how much does a civil surgeon charge for merely signing off the form? VJ suggests Dr. L.E. Arnold's services which gives out a nominal fee of $30. But you are free to scroll in the USCIS website for civil surgeons close to your place. I guess the charge would be most likely around $250.

- if I submit the I-485 without the appropriate vaccination supplement, will it be put on hold or simply sent back to me? If it's put on hold, how much time would we have for her to get the appropriate vaccinations? Most got an RFE for I-693. Others didn't got any even by submitting the DS-3025 only. It's a case-to-case basis. The sooner time you respond for the RFE, the sooner your case will be processed.

- what experiences do others in here have with getting the vaccination supplement signed off and/or receiving the vaccinations from a USCIS civil surgeon (such as location, appointment times, cost, etc.) Got Dr. Arnold's services too. He does the work fast with the least fee. Just leave a message at his answering machine with your name and contact number and they will get back to you ASAP. Don't be fooled with other USCIS affiliated Civil Surgeons saying that your fiancee needs a full medical and transcribing the vaccination supplement for a $250 fee. Good Luck!

Thanks :-)

Thanks for the feedback. A few questions:

What is an RFE?

Does Dr. Arnold provide the vaccinations - or does he merely sign off the I-693 after reviewing your earlier vaccinations?

What is the DS-3025? Is that the vaccination form my wife received from St. Luke's?

If so, will the USCIS accept the DS-3025 in lieu of the I-693 vaccination supplement?

If it's uncertain, what is there to be lost in submitting the package with the existing DS-3025?

[Ban Hammer 13,293]

moved from pi regional to aos forum.

[Steve_Donna 0]

Can anyone send the contact num and address of Dr. Arnold?

JM2008, thanks for bringing up this questions

Dr. L. E. Arnold

4534 Westgate Boulevard, Suite 114

Austin, TX 78745

Tel: (512) 444-3131

Fax: (512) 447-4699

[o0pink0o 3]

What is an RFE?

Request for Further Evidence

Can anyone send the contact num and address of Dr. Arnold?

JM2008, thanks for bringing up this questions

Dr. L. E. Arnold

4534 Westgate Boulevard, Suite 114

Austin, TX 78745

Tel: (512) 444-3131

Fax: (512) 447-4699

thank you

[Tahoma 2,292]

This is a good thread.

I also have some questions:

> Is it required to have the TB skin test before we forward my vaccination record to Dr. Arnold? Or do we have to wait for his instruction first for the skin test?

> Can we do the transcription of my vaccination to I-693 before we get married?

~Chinook

[JM2008 0]

I stumbled upon another thread in here in which a post made by one of the forum administrators indicated that the DS-3025 is acceptable in lieu of the I-693 vaccination supplement.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=101202

Furthermore, the USCIS has instructions for each form. If they ask you to submit an additional form, they have set a precedent by indicating the form number. In the case of the I-485 instructions, there is no mention of form I-693 with respect to vaccination supplement.

I'd like to think that there wouldn't be such conflicting responses to this.

Does anyone have any experience with submitting their DS-3025 with the I-485? Does it get bounced back? Do they accept it? Do they send an RFE?

How can you know which vaccinations are required? If you submit a vaccination supplement/DS-3025 and additional vaccinations are needed, does the USCIS tell you specifically what is needed?

Edited April 8, 2009 by JM2008

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

I stumbled upon another thread in here in which a post made by one of the forum administrators indicated that the DS-3025 is acceptable in lieu of the I-693 vaccination supplement.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=101202

That thread is old and if you want to get into the latest discussion, jump in sometime in the summer/fall of 2008. New rules and forms came out so read this page from USCIS if your medical was after June 1. Q&A TB and Medical Exam

Furthermore, the USCIS has instructions for each form. If they ask you to submit an additional form, they have set a precedent by indicating the form number. In the case of the I-485 instructions, there is no mention of form I-693 with respect to vaccination supplement.

I'd like to think that there wouldn't be such conflicting responses to this.

Instructions: If you are a K-1 fiancé(e) or K-2 dependent who had a medical examination within the past year as required for the nonimmigrant fiancé(e) visa, you only need to submit a vaccination supplement, not the entire medical report. You may include the vaccination supplement with your adjustment-of-status application. The "supplement" used to be the I-693A which is no longer used since the new I-693 came into effect last summer. They took it off the USCIS website

Does anyone have any experience with submitting their DS-3025 with the I-485? Does it get bounced back? Do they accept it? Do they send an RFE?

I do. We sent the DS-3025 which had all immunizations complete (that's important) but not the I-693, even though the medical was after the cut-off date. I know of 3 others (after the cut-off date) and we got green cards without an RFE. Obviously if you left shots to be taken after arriving in the US, then the I-693 form by a Civil Surgeon is the way to go. Dr. Arnold does not transcribe TB skin tests. It's a test like a blood test, not an immunization and there is no place for it in the immunization section. Yep, herein lies the problem about what to do.

How can you know which vaccinations are required? If you submit a vaccination supplement/DS-3025 and additional vaccinations are needed, does the USCIS tell you specifically what is needed?

This document shows the requirements. Pay attention to ages and footnotes for more detailed information.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5753-Immunization.pdf

Edited April 8, 2009 by Nich-Nick

[cartman1417 0]

i got my i-693 from a civil surgeon in PA....my TB skin test was positive....i do not want to submit this to USCIS....

1) if i contact Dr. Arnold, will he give me another i-693 stating that my TB skin test was negative?

2) does he require any proof of prior vaccinations and TB skin tests?

3) will it be ok that i live in PA but got my i-693 from TX?

[Angela & Paul 12]

i got my i-693 from a civil surgeon in PA....my TB skin test was positive....i do not want to submit this to USCIS....

1) if i contact Dr. Arnold, will he give me another i-693 stating that my TB skin test was negative?

2) does he require any proof of prior vaccinations and TB skin tests?

3) will it be ok that i live in PA but got my i-693 from TX?

We used Dr. Arnold too and we live in CA.

Dr. Arnold does NOT fill out the TB test section, just the vaccination section, based on your DS-3025 and any other immunization card you may have if the DS-3025 showed incomplete (like the now required Td-ap shot, not just Td shots)

We'll let people know if we get a RFE.

Btw, Angela did a TB test and it came "negative" according to the Health Dept. - that's what it says on her immunization card -, but the nurse put a reaction of 6mm, which if I read the USCIS instructions well is considered positive for them. Talk about confusing stuff!

She had the BCG as a kid, and most people who had it will have a positive test.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

i got my i-693 from a civil surgeon in PA....my TB skin test was positive....i do not want to submit this to USCIS....

You could try not sending anything to do with the TB test since your Knightsbridge medical surely says you are free of TB based on your chest x-ray. And the UK is relatively free of TB. We sent no TB test, even though the medical was after June 1, and got no RFE and green card was approved. You could try it and see if it flys. If you were from a country with high incidence of TB, then it might not work as easily. If you get an RFE then deal with it then. Some have been required to take 6 months of strong antibiotics, even though a second chest x-ray by a civil surgeon also shows clear. I would think that would depend on your civil surgeon and what he writes on the form as how you must follow through after having a positive skin test. I guess if you got one saying you needed medicine you could toss that report and go pay somebody else who might clear you. Or you could buy the medicine, get a receipt, and flush it. I would risk the RFE first and save my $$.

[rickynlucy 0]

i got my i-693 from a civil surgeon in PA....my TB skin test was positive....i do not want to submit this to USCIS....

1) if i contact Dr. Arnold, will he give me another i-693 stating that my TB skin test was negative?

2) does he require any proof of prior vaccinations and TB skin tests?

3) will it be ok that i live in PA but got my i-693 from TX?

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think you may be making this a bigger deal than it really is. Is there anywhere on the USCIS site that says that you have to take the medication based solely on a positive skin test?

After reading the previously posted info and the USCIS site, it looks like as long as the xray is clear it's up to the doctor to recommend a course of treatment. It seems like if you have a negative x-ray then the meds may be optional.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/lofivers...hp/t158953.html