Sputum culture and validity of visa

[roxanne23 0]

Hi, I've decided to have my fiance do his medical without an interview date since he was diagnosed with TB and he might have to do the 2 month sputum culture. Does anybody know how they collect the sputum if my fiance doesn't even cough.

1. When the sputum culture results are released, how long do we have before the medical is expired?

2. Isn't true that the medical validity is tied to the visa validity?

3. For example, if the sputum culture is released Sept 1, how long do I have before my fiance has to leave the Philippines for the visa to be valid?

Other questions:

1. What if my fiance has all his treatment record for TB, does he still have to undergo sputum?

2. When the sputum results are out, is that the same day my fiance will complete his medical?

thank you!

[Mr&MrsA 9]

you dont get a visa if your medical is not cleared yet. Sputum culture test takes 2 months before results show if its positive for TB or not. if it does turn positive, its going to take 6 months for the treatment. You call NVC to extend validty as NOA2 is valid (correct me if im wrong) for 4 months only. when medical is cleared, you can proceed with the interview.

St Lukes does the test to arrive to a valid result. So yes, they do the sputum test if they find something on the chest xray result.

Goodluck!

[marione05 1]

Hope my answers will suffice..

Hi, I've decided to have my fiance do his medical without an interview date since he was diagnosed with TB and he might have to do the 2 month sputum culture. Does anybody know how they collect the sputum if my fiance doesn't even cough.

1. When the sputum culture results are released, how long do we have before the medical is expired? I think it's 5 months from the first day of the medical.. I did mine on March 8, sputum results was received by May 14 but medical and visa will expire by Aug. 8..

2. Isn't true that the medical validity is tied to the visa validity? Yes, the visa validity depends on the medical validity.

3. For example, if the sputum culture is released Sept 1, how long do I have before my fiance has to leave the Philippines for the visa to be valid? It will be stated in the visa. He must leave before the expiration date. On mine, it's Aug. 8. 5 months after the first day of my medical.

Other questions:

1. What if my fiance has all his treatment record for TB, does he still have to undergo sputum? Yes, if there is something in his x-ray.

2. When the sputum results are out, is that the same day my fiance will complete his medical? St. Luke's will advise you when to go back. When he receives the immunization, that marks the completion of the medical.

thank you!

[roxanne23 0]

Thank you so much for all the help.

Marione05, what if you don't have any cough, how will they get the sputum collected? Also, when you had to reschedule your interview, who scheduled it, St. lukes or you did? Right now it's so hard to find a slot, that's why I'm doing my medical first since I know I have to wait 2 months anyway! I see that you were able to get a schedule right away after the sputum results were out!

[marione05 1]

It's really painful to try to produce sputum. They have instructions like breath deeply 3 times then cough. There's no other way but try to produce 5-10mL of sputum.

St. Luke's will ask if you want them to re-schedule. As for me I let them resched but they got June 20 slot which is impossible for me to get a visa because of f2a's retrogression. Anyway, as soon as I got out of st.lukes, I cancelled and thankfully got an earlier schedule which was May 23.

Just check everyday.. Usually there'll be one when someone cancels. Good luck!

Thank you so much for all the help.

Marione05, what if you don't have any cough, how will they get the sputum collected? Also, when you had to reschedule your interview, who scheduled it, St. lukes or you did? Right now it's so hard to find a slot, that's why I'm doing my medical first since I know I have to wait 2 months anyway! I see that you were able to get a schedule right away after the sputum results were out!

[Hank_ 9,174]

you dont get a visa if your medical is not cleared yet. Sputum culture test takes 2 months before results show if its positive for TB or not. if it does turn positive, its going to take 6 months for the treatment. You call NVC to extend validty as NOA2 is valid (correct me if im wrong ) for 4 months only. when medical is cleared, you can proceed with the interview.

St Lukes does the test to arrive to a valid result. So yes, they do the sputum test if they find something on the chest xray result.

Goodluck!

Correcting you - petition validity is extended by the embassy automatically, no action is required from the beneficiary. The validity of the petition can be extended up to a year.

[LuckyTwo14 1]

Good luck. SLEC called us 3 weeks after negative sputum and now fiancée started 6 months of Direct Treatment Observation (DTO). SLEC watches them take a tablet Monday through Friday, no holidays.

Sputum culture 2 month test is about 85% accurate. 15% of positive sputum is false positive.

Chances are that if you have to do sputum then you are going to have to do the treatment and you become healthy and a success statistic for the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control TB Elimination Program so another person with no symptoms is "cured"

Approximately 1 in 385 Philippine citizens have TB. Whether it's active with cough or latent doesn't matter. SLEC will quarantine to the country.

[roxanne23 0]

Thanks for all the help, I'm just so nervous for my fiance! I told him to go this week for medical, so hopefully his smears turn out to be negative!

[chachi2045 0]

Hi I have a scheduled visa interview on April 28 but due to my tb medication that I started last week...thank you all for your experiences it assisted me on my self recovery on this dilemma as I am the only person among my family who is left behind due to my xray findings and medication. I need clarifications:

1. Who cancel our upcoming visa interview on April 28, Is it the petitioner or a representation lawyer or St Lukes? and,

2. Do you havr any specific email address , where we can cancel the interview?

3. I think regardless if the sputum culture is negative or positive , as based from what i understand we all have to finish the 6months medication at St Lukes, which means we have to repeat another medical check up and new payment anyway but the important is the interview date....

I really need your advise as I'm very much confuse, St Luke would let us know that they will be the one to cancel the interview but when I talked to other applicants with the same situation that I should be the one to cancel the interview so we would not be penalize to repay the visa fee amount .

Thank you all ....

[Hank_ 9,174]

Hi I have a scheduled visa interview on April 28 but due to my tb medication that I started last week...thank you all for your experiences it assisted me on my self recovery on this dilemma as I am the only person among my family who is left behind due to my xray findings and medication. I need clarifications:

1. Who cancel our upcoming visa interview on April 28, Is it the petitioner or a representation lawyer or St Lukes? and,

2. Do you havr any specific email address , where we can cancel the interview?

3. I think regardless if the sputum culture is negative or positive , as based from what i understand we all have to finish the 6months medication at St Lukes, which means we have to repeat another medical check up and new payment anyway but the important is the interview date....

I really need your advise as I'm very much confuse, St Luke would let us know that they will be the one to cancel the interview but when I talked to other applicants with the same situation that I should be the one to cancel the interview so we would not be penalize to repay the visa fee amount .

Thank you all ....

Normally St. Luke's cancels your interview, but I would ask them just to make sure they did cancel it. Later after completion of DOT St. Luke's will most likely tell you to schedule your interview (they aren't doing that as much anymore).

You can call the embassy to verify, contact info in the link below, once on the website click the NVC-USEM tab and scroll down.

[shantysocialite 1]

Hi I have a scheduled visa interview on April 28 but due to my tb medication that I started last week...thank you all for your experiences it assisted me on my self recovery on this dilemma as I am the only person among my family who is left behind due to my xray findings and medication. I need clarifications:

1. Who cancel our upcoming visa interview on April 28, Is it the petitioner or a representation lawyer or St Lukes? and,

2. Do you havr any specific email address , where we can cancel the interview?

3. I think regardless if the sputum culture is negative or positive , as based from what i understand we all have to finish the 6months medication at St Lukes, which means we have to repeat another medical check up and new payment anyway but the important is the interview date....

I really need your advise as I'm very much confuse, St Luke would let us know that they will be the one to cancel the interview but when I talked to other applicants with the same situation that I should be the one to cancel the interview so we would not be penalize to repay the visa fee amount .

Thank you all ....

Hi! Don't worry, you are not alone as I am also having a treatment at SLEC. I just started this month so its still a long way to go.

In my case, when I was informed that I had to do the Sputum test, SLEC told me to cancel my interview date. They didn't do it for me. They even wrote it in my paper that I had to cancel it myself. If you schedule your interview online, you can cancel it online as well. If you were given a schedule via email/letter, you have to call them. Sorry I don't know the number. Somebody here might answer. Its posted though at the door of SLEC's DOT room (2nd floor where the Pulmo Eval is)

Sputum culture is only 2 months. After doing the 3 days Sputum collection, on the 4th or few days after that, SLEC will tell you whether the tests came back positive or negative. If POSITIVE, you will start the DOT (Directly Observed Therapy) which will run 6 months or so. If its NEGATIVE, its good BUT then you still have to finish the 2 months CULTURE. During this period, they will see whether TB bacteria grows. If yours turn positive WITHIN 2 months, SLEC will call you and then start the treatment. If all is well and you finish the 2 months, you wont have to repeat the medical anymore and pay any fee. You'll get vaccines and youre good to go for your interview. Now, if you are like me (positive sputum already), you will be doing the 6 months treatment at slec. Well youll have to go there everyday and drink the tablets around them. After 6months, when all is well and good, thats when we have to pay the fee again since our previous medical has already expired. I don't know yet the whole process as I only started it this month. Today, I was informed that Ill be doing the sputum collection again on May 5 and 6 (started DOT April 6). I didn't contact the embassy about my treatment. I believe SLEC already notified them.

Lets just keep the faith and finish this journey sis Aja!

[Hank_ 9,174]

I am seeing that all the time as of late, SLEC is not doing anything regarding the interviews - cancelling or scheduling.