K1 Visa: Adivce for medical at St. Lukes and interview for Philippines

[roxanne23 0]

Hi everyone, I would like to seek your advice. My fiance has already paid the visa fee in Philippines. We have completed gathering all the required documents needed for the interview. Now, we are just waiting to get an interview appointment date (which right now there are currently no available appointments). My fiance was diagnosed with TB but has completed treatment already. To my understanding, St. Lukes Medical requires individuals with any lesions on their chest xray to undergo sputum exam. You have to wait 2 months for the results to come back for them to clear your medical.

I don't have an appointment date available as of now. Do you think I should just go ahead and do the medical now since he still needs to undergo the sputum exam and wait 2 months. And I'm sure within that two months of waiting for the result, I can get an appointment date (aiming for an interview date that is after the date of when the results of the sputum test is released and the medical is cleared)?

Please advice. It's all about timing, and I want to get things out of the way as much as I can so I don't have to wait longer.

Thank you!

[Pitaya 2,577]

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[AR and BA 5]

That is a good idea. Go to medical first. I have history as well and planning to take medical once I have the MNL case number to save time waiting for the culture test result. I am planning to schedule an appointment to USEM after the medical so I can have an estimate of about two months.

[roxanne23 0]

Is the medical valid for only 3 months? Do you know what that means? Does it mean you have to leave the Philippines within that validity date?

[Greenbaum 12,260]

roxanne23, on 11 Jun 2014 - 01:47 AM, said:

Hi everyone, I would like to seek your advice. My fiance has already paid the visa fee in Philippines. We have completed gathering all the required documents needed for the interview. Now, we are just waiting to get an interview appointment date (which right now there are currently no available appointments). My fiance was diagnosed with TB but has completed treatment already. To my understanding, St. Lukes Medical requires individuals with any lesions on their chest xray to undergo sputum exam. You have to wait 2 months for the results to come back for them to clear your medical.

I don't have an appointment date available as of now. Do you think I should just go ahead and do the medical now since he still needs to undergo the sputum exam and wait 2 months. And I'm sure within that two months of waiting for the result, I can get an appointment date (aiming for an interview date that is after the date of when the results of the sputum test is released and the medical is cleared)?

Please advice. It's all about timing, and I want to get things out of the way as much as I can so I don't have to wait longer.

Thank you!

roxanne23, on 11 Jun 2014 - 04:52 AM, said:

Is the medical valid for only 3 months? Do you know what that means? Does it mean you have to leave the Philippines within that validity date?

You need an appointment with USEM to schedule and complete your medical at SLEC. So pay your interview fee and grab a date. Have your interview while waiting for your results. The Embassy will issue a 221(g) delaying your visa until such time that they receive your medical results from SLEC. If everything is fine with your medical then your visa will be issued if they have given you an approval. The embassy will extend your visa up to a year automatically pending your medical results. That should be plenty of time for you to complete your exam and tests.

If you go and have your medical and they fine no concerns with your previous TB then they may pass you at that time which affords you the opportunity to continue your visa process without delay. So get a interview date and then schedule your medical.

[Hank_ 9,174]

Is the medical valid for only 3 months? Do you know what that means? Does it mean you have to leave the Philippines within that validity date?

Medical is valid for 6 months. Visa is valid for 6 months from the date of the medical, so you could have a shorter validity time for entering the USA because of the potential sputum testing.

You need an appointment with USEM to schedule and complete your medical at SLEC So pay your interview fee and grab a date. Have your interview while waiting for your results. The Embassy will issue a 221(g) delaying your visa until such time that they receive your medical results from SLEC. If everything is fine with your medical then your visa will be issued if they have given you an approval. The embassy will extend your visa up to a year automatically pending your medical results. That should be plenty of time for you to complete your exam and tests.

If you go and have your medical and they fine no concerns with your previous TB then they may pass you at that time which affords you the opportunity to continue your visa process without delay. So get a interview date and then schedule your medical.

No you don't need an interview date to do the medical. All that is needed is the NVC letter/email with the MNL# on it to complete the medical.

Edited June 11, 2014 by Hank_

[Hank_ 9,174]

Hi everyone, I would like to seek your advice. My fiance has already paid the visa fee in Philippines. We have completed gathering all the required documents needed for the interview. Now, we are just waiting to get an interview appointment date (which right now there are currently no available appointments). My fiance was diagnosed with TB but has completed treatment already. To my understanding, St. Lukes Medical requires individuals with any lesions on their chest xray to undergo sputum exam. You have to wait 2 months for the results to come back for them to clear your medical.

I don't have an appointment date available as of now. Do you think I should just go ahead and do the medical now since he still needs to undergo the sputum exam and wait 2 months. And I'm sure within that two months of waiting for the result, I can get an appointment date (aiming for an interview date that is after the date of when the results of the sputum test is released and the medical is cleared)?

Please advice. It's all about timing, and I want to get things out of the way as much as I can so I don't have to wait longer.

Thank you!

That is a good idea to get the medical completed before scheduling the interview because of past TB issues. It may be good to bring the medical records from past treatment too.

You can use the NVC letter/email with the MNL# for getting the medical done at SLEC.

[roxanne23 0]

Thank you so much! I did call St.Lukes and they did tell me that I don't need an interview date. They just told me that once the sputum results are released, then I must travel within that validity date!

[sassyseawitch 1]

Thank you Hank. We will try to get the medical on June 16th while we wait for an interview appt.

[Greenbaum 12,260]

Hank_, on 11 Jun 2014 - 07:40 AM, said:

Medical is valid for 6 months. Visa is valid for 6 months from the date of the medical, so you could have a shorter validity time for entering the USA because of the potential sputum testing.

No you don't need an interview date to do the medical. All that is needed is the NVC letter/email with the MNL# on it to complete the medical.

Thanks Hank. Sometimes I need that from you!