TB Skin Test

[katie & sifa 25]

Just to piggy back on what others have said - Sifa didn't have a skin test at his medical in Kenya (his are always positive anyway, like MANY people in Kenya.) Clear chest x-ray, everything is fine. He didn't have one at the CS either and so far everything has been good!

[adiiann 163]

Hi everyone,

I am yet to submit our AOS docs to USCIS and so I am anxious to know, how important is the TB Skin Test ( I haven't done this test in my country), but I am confident that my medical in my country is complete and having been done with chest Xray, for me is more reliable. I am done with I-693, the CS as required, filled out the parts 1, part 2 (vaccination), and part 5 (CS certification)...the CS was really kind enough and didn't ask anything but my immunization records..but I am just anxious to know if TB Skin Test is a MUST, since I know of other K-1's who really did this when they got to the US.

I had been checking out other VJ'ers thread about this issue, but I guess, at this point I would like to know any updates...

Thanks as always for the help.

K1 Visa

Service Center : Vermont Service Center

Consulate : Philippines

I-129F Sent : 2009-10-09

I-129F NOA1 : 2009-10-09

I-129F NOA2 : 2009-11-30

Consulate Received : 2009-12-04

Interview Date : 2010-01-28

Interview Result : Approved

Visa Received : 2010-02-05

US Entry : 2010-03-15

Marriage : 2010-05-01

Estimates/Stats : Your I-129f was approved in 52 days from your NOA1 date.

Your interview took 111 days from your I-129F NOA1 date.

As far as I know.... if you didn't pass the c-xray in the Philippines and have negative result in culture test, you need to have TST in your nearest public health care clinic. The CDC requires it.

[griffin 7]

JUST A REMINDER:

BCG VACCINES WILL REACT TO TB SKIN TEST THATS WHY WE OPT X RAY.

[thongd4me 69]

Hi everyone,

I am yet to submit our AOS docs to USCIS and so I am anxious to know, how important is the TB Skin Test ( I haven't done this test in my country), but I am confident that my medical in my country is complete and having been done with chest Xray, for me is more reliable. I am done with I-693, the CS as required, filled out the parts 1, part 2 (vaccination), and part 5 (CS certification)...the CS was really kind enough and didn't ask anything but my immunization records..but I am just anxious to know if TB Skin Test is a MUST, since I know of other K-1's who really did this when they got to the US.

I had been checking out other VJ'ers thread about this issue, but I guess, at this point I would like to know any updates...

Thanks as always for the help.

K1 Visa

Service Center : Vermont Service Center

Consulate : Philippines

I-129F Sent : 2009-10-09

I-129F NOA1 : 2009-10-09

I-129F NOA2 : 2009-11-30

Consulate Received : 2009-12-04

Interview Date : 2010-01-28

Interview Result : Approved

Visa Received : 2010-02-05

US Entry : 2010-03-15

Marriage : 2010-05-01

Estimates/Stats : Your I-129f was approved in 52 days from your NOA1 date.

Your interview took 111 days from your I-129F NOA1 date.

If you had the chest x-ray already you should be good to go,

although when my wife and I met with the CS he insisted

she do the skin test - he was only shaking us down for

another fee, which we paid because we couldn't go around

shopping for other civil surgeons - we had no time.

If you can find one that will agree to do the transcription,

that's a gem - they are out there but most of them are

running an "immigration mill" racket and the USCIS

disavows any knowlege of their actions and refuses

to monitor or control them - they are 100% autonomous.

[FrostyMist 1]

Strictly speaking, you should not have to get the tuberculin skin test (TST). They don't usually administer this test in many countries where tuberculosis transmission is common, including Asia and the Pacific Islands. This is because a large percentage of the population have been exposed to the bacteria that causes tuberculosis, and will give a positive test reaction even though they don't have an active or latent TB infection. The panel physicians in these countries skip the skin test, and go to the secondary screening which is a chest x-ray. If they see indications of infection in the x-ray then they go to the third stage screening, which is a sputum culture.

If you had the chest x-ray and were cleared at the panel physician's medical exam in your home country, then you are not required by USCIS to have the test again, provided it was done within the previous year. However, a civil surgeon in the US who was following the CDC guidelines, and not specifically aware of the USCIS requirements, might BELIEVE you need the TST test. This is because the CDC guidelines don't specify an exception for applicants who had a chest x-ray by a panel physician - they only specify exceptions for applicants who have a documented history of a positive TST (they'll need a chest x-ray), or a documented history of severe blistering reaction to the TST (they'll also need a chest x-ray), or refugee/asylum applicants who only require vaccinations. In other words, there is a conflict between the USCIS requirements and the CDC requirements.

The civil surgeon we went to was absolutely convinced the TST was required, and even showed me the latest CDC requirements. I countered by showing him the latest USCIS requirements. He then showed me a short stack of I-693's that were awaiting TST results AFTER the applicant's had gotten RFE's from USCIS. He said we could skip the TST if we wanted, and he'd sign the I-693. Rather than risk an RFE, we decided to get the test. Only my step-son had a reaction, but it wasn't enough to be classified as positive. The civil surgeon reviewed his chest x-rays from Cho Ray hospital in Vietnam, just be safe.

Thank you for such useful information. My husband and I have been given the runaround by uninformed Civil Surgeon's who insisted that TB skin test was required, and I have to say it's been a very stressful time trying to get the issue resolved. Gladly we found a civil surgeon who was willing to transcribe just the vaccination records, which was all I needed, so I hope we are good to go with this medical issue now.

But your post was so helpful. Actually understanding why the other civil surgeon we spoke to was so adament about the skin test is a reassurance that we haven't misunderstood some important requirement.

[newlyweds 0]

Actually it's not a must. And coming from the Philippines you're likely to have he TB skin test positive. But that wouldn't mean you're TB positive. That's why they don't do the skin testing in PI because 1) BCG vaccination is given to infants during birth. 2) Philippines has a large population of Tb + people

so likely, the skin test will come out positive because a + reaction means an exposure. The chest X-ray is more reliable, you are right with that.

My husband is in the military and the military compulsorily does skin testing, so when I did mine, I came out positive, I explained that I am from PI, I'm a nurse, plus I had BCG, i had the trifecta lol but they asked me for another chest Xray actually. But immigration doesn't need you to do a skin test coz in the philippines we don;t do that anyway. We have the xray

[daredra 2]

I know this thread is old, but I ran into this problem. I had x-ray in my country, but no TST. I got my visa, EAD, no RFE, then at the GC interview they told me I don't have a skin test and have 30 days to get one. They didn't care the chest x-ray overrides the test, they just saw it's missing... Now I'm starting to panic as I can't find a civil surgeon who would sign for only this part. They either want the whole medical again, don't see now patients or don't practice anymore. That list seriously needs to be updated. Anyway, you can say they shouldn't ask for a test, but the reality is that they can. I am one of the unlucky ones:(

Edited July 26, 2011 by daredra

[KiwiBird 132]

Depends. If you're talking for the K1 visa, it's not required. We only had a chest Xray that proved he didn't have TB.

If you're talking about AOS, the civil surgeon here would not complete the medical form without it being done. He said, "The form asks if you had a TB skin test. Even though you had a chest Xray, that's not what they are asking."

And he performed a TB skin test.

[daredra 2]

Yes, that's exactly what I was told. My only problem is that I got the BCG shot as a baby, which will likely cause a positive skin test. They require the x-ray in that case, which I already have, so it all seems so useless. I wouldn't complain if they had sent me an RFE before the interview or could find a civil surgeon that is willing to do only the test.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Yes, that's exactly what I was told. My only problem is that I got the BCG shot as a baby, which will likely cause a positive skin test. They require the x-ray in that case, which I already have, so it all seems so useless. I wouldn't complain if they had sent me an RFE before the interview or could find a civil surgeon that is willing to do only the test.

I personally would make an INFOPASS to appeal the decision. Stating that you HAD your xray, the medical was still valid and proves you don't have TB. Also show them this from their own site: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextchannel=68439c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextoid=1758d5b07655b110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD

This section:

Q: If an applicant is required to receive only the vaccinations, and not undergo the entire medical exam, does he/she have to submit the entire Form I-693?

No. Applicants who are not required to have the entire medical examination need to submit only pages one, three and five of the new form. The required sections include Part 1, Information About You, the vaccination record portion of Part 2, and Part 5 (if the vaccinations are administered by a civil surgeon) or Part 6 (if the vaccinations are administered by a local health department). Pages two and four, that would have been left blank, do not need to be submitted.

[daredra 2]

We made the interviewer to ask his superior, and the answer was still that we need the skin test. I don't know how an infopass would be different. Also, this section talks about the vaccinations only. I already passed the medicals in Hungary, I pointed this out to the interviewer but his reply was that the K1 is a non- immigrant visa and the requirements for AOS are different. Bunch of bullishit, but I don't know how I could make him understand.

Btw, I never sent in an I-693, just my DS-320 which showed the result as incomplete. Interestingly he never had any problems with THAT.