UK VJers Progress Update Thread

[YorkshiretoAZ 12]

So here we go. Knew this was coming. Our medical is not out of date (June 15th 2015), and we sent in the DS-3025 (Knightsbridge didn't check the tickbox despite argument - but everything was completed and up to date). We hadn't any movement on our case (still stuck on biometrics) and low and behold we get that lovely RFE from the national benefits office (not Baltimore):

''An immunization supplement was not submitted with your application. Submit a complete Form I-693 immunization supplement.''

:ranting:

So. What shall we do then? I'd like to get this over and done with and as cheaply as possible. I've seen VJ mention a Polly Steinberg, but she is all the way down the Bethesda, and we live on the Eastern Shore.... uhh yeah far lol.

So does he just need the vaccination transcript I-693? Or do we have to shell out for a full medical too?

Also.... can the USCIS not even read their own policies on this issue?

God I could cry.

Can't offer any advice but I'm applying for AOS soon and worried that this might happen too :/

[yuna628 9,676]

Can't offer any advice but I'm applying for AOS soon and worried that this might happen too :/

If it happens, it happens. I'm becoming convinced it's all a big money grab and delay tactic.

I'd also like to correct something, the case is not actually at the NBC or Baltimore, but it's been sent to New Hampshire for no explanation or reason that I know of.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

If you want to reply with a rebuttal, I'll help you with documentation to print. But if you just want to pay up and finish then find a civil surgeon and pay whatever it costs.

[simonschus 58]

If it happens, it happens. I'm becoming convinced it's all a big money grab and delay tactic.

I'd also like to correct something, the case is not actually at the NBC or Baltimore, but it's been sent to New Hampshire for no explanation or reason that I know of.

I'm so sorry to hear about this Like others, I cannot add anything other than sympathy. I'm concerned that this will happen to me too should my case be forwarded to a local USCIS office (in fact, my local USCIS is going to be New Hampshire!). It is so frustrating that there is such an inconsistency even despite the wording in the adjudicator handbook.

I really hope that the issue can be quickly and cheaply sorted out for you

On a linked issue, does anybody know a way of preempting this issue when sending the AOS package so as to avoid any RFE? I don't think anything else can easily be done really. However, a few weeks ago in the VJ forums, I posed the idea of sending in a letter highlighting the permissibility of an incomplete DS3025. The letter would have included wording from the adjudicator handbook. However, I was shouted down and advised against the idea because it was considered a way to annoy and irritate the adjudicator (which I completely understand; they're professionals and it is not for me to tell them how to do their job!). I don't know if there is any other way to mitigate against the risk of an incomplete DS3025 other than simply doing another medical so as to avoid this situation in the future though, and it just seems a terrible luck of the draw when it does happen.

Simon.

Edited May 21, 2016 by simonschus

[yuna628 9,676]

If you want to reply with a rebuttal, I'll help you with documentation to print. But if you just want to pay up and finish then find a civil surgeon and pay whatever it costs.

We were actually recently injured in an auto accident and have come into some funds for our troubles, so we do have money to pay for this (I guess being smashed by a negligent driver was a blessing in disguise?): the questions we have though are:

The letter states in full something a little confusing to me:

''An immunization supplement was not submitted with your application. Submit a complete form I-693 immunization supplement. This is ONLY the last page of the I-693 report of medical examination and vaccination record, completed by a USCIS civil surgeon.''

Now, two things, his original Knightsbridge medical was completed in June 2015. We sent the DS3025, and we even made a note of that in our coverletter.

This RFE though, is ONLY asking for the vaccination supplement, and is implying that we never sent the DS3025 in the first place, or that I suppose the NBC lost this document when they sent it over to the NH office. BUT, since they are asking for the vaccination supplement ONLY, that must mean that they have looked over his original medical document, of which the original Knightsbridge documentation should have been present yes?

Or is this RFE merely due in part to their oversight entirely regarding the tick box?

The last questions, and maybe the most important one: Do we just go with having the civil surgeon recertify transcribe the vaccination sheet only as the RFE requests, or do we redo the entire medical along with the transcription? I ask this because obviously we are very much close to a full year since the original medical was completed... and I am paranoid the USCIS would be rude enough to hit us with a second RFE for that. Or does the fact the officer has picked up our case file before the medical has expired absolve us for the need of redoing that?

Can we go to any civil surgeon or must it be in the same state as we reside? There are several choices in the neighboring state of DE we could go to, and would absolutely cut down on our travel time. 20 minutes vs 2+hrs is a lot you know...

[-Shana- 152]

yuna, sorry to hear you've got an RFE, I too was worried it would happen to me but somehow I managed to get lucky. I honestly think based on my own research that it's all down to the IO in regards to if they want to hit you with a RFE. You never know they might have simply lost your DS3025 . Some of them can be harsh!

From the sounds of it they just need a vaccination supplement, which would mean you don't have to pay to get a full medical done. From what Nich was telling me in another thread, a CS is a CS no matter where you go, as long as you're sending the evidence from your RFE to the correct address I don't think it would matter.

I've been living by the rule of not going above and beyond to preempt an RFE to save money, so I would say just do as the RFE says and keep your fingers and toes crossed that that's all they need. If you would like to be extra prepared, then it won't hurt your case. I read of someone going to my local USCIS office with a full medical in check just in case and I kinda felt bad for them since I went in and wasn't asked for another medical. It's all down to personal preference and how quickly you want AOS to be over with.

[SunflowerSweet 1,321]

Oh man honestly the whole DS3025 thing has been nagging at the back of my mind as well, especially after the ordeal we had at Knightsbridge where I basically had to demand the nurses there administer the vaccines he was missing in order to make sure everything was up to date. (My fiance calls it my "assertive American voice" haha) I will say it was all very confusing. The one and only time during this process that I felt like I would have benefited from some sort of legal counsel was when I was sitting in that waiting room with a nurse trying to convince me that him missing nearly half of his shots wouldn't come back to haunt me and I should just drop it.

I still expect some issues however as since he was 18 when the medical happened he was SUPPOSE to need the Hepatitis B and Meningococcal vaccines. I don't think we ended up getting them, since he will be 19 when we do AOS, but the DS3025 was filled out from the perspective of him being 18 so they were not noted as exempt. I plan on including a note explaining this, but if you received and RFE for yours I can't imagine I will be able to sneak by without one.

Oh well. I will start putting some money aside for Civil Surgeon fees I guess.

[yuna628 9,676]

We're going to give Dr Steinberg a call tomorrow. I've heard good things about her, and she is knowledgeable about the process to get everything done cheaply. It's very far for us to travel, but I would rather that then shell out an enormous sum and make him do stuff he doesn't have to. It's funny, we used that USCIS CS locator online to see if there was any doctor in town.. there was one guy, and his name sent off alarm bells because I read about him in the local paper. This dude has had his license removed to practice in a neighboring state! Kind of scary who the USCIS recommends these days... O_o

I guess there could be worse RFE's to receive.. but it is kind of defeating and embarrassing how bad the government behaves sometimes..

Edited May 22, 2016 by yuna628

[-Shana- 152]

Oh man honestly the whole DS3025 thing has been nagging at the back of my mind as well, especially after the ordeal we had at Knightsbridge where I basically had to demand the nurses there administer the vaccines he was missing in order to make sure everything was up to date. (My fiance calls it my "assertive American voice" haha) I will say it was all very confusing. The one and only time during this process that I felt like I would have benefited from some sort of legal counsel was when I was sitting in that waiting room with a nurse trying to convince me that him missing nearly half of his shots wouldn't come back to haunt me and I should just drop it.

I still expect some issues however as since he was 18 when the medical happened he was SUPPOSE to need the Hepatitis B and Meningococcal vaccines. I don't think we ended up getting them, since he will be 19 when we do AOS, but the DS3025 was filled out from the perspective of him being 18 so they were not noted as exempt. I plan on including a note explaining this, but if you received and RFE for yours I can't imagine I will be able to sneak by without one.

Oh well. I will start putting some money aside for Civil Surgeon fees I guess.

That's so unusual that they tried to talk you guys out of doing the shots, surely they'd encourage you to do so since it's money in their pockets. I hope you don't get an RFE further down the line!

We're going to give Dr Steinberg a call tomorrow. I've heard good things about her, and she is knowledgeable about the process to get everything done cheaply. It's very far for us to travel, but I would rather that then shell out an enormous sum and make him do stuff he doesn't have to. It's funny, we used that USCIS CS locator online to see if there was any doctor in town.. there was one guy, and his name sent off alarm bells because I read about him in the local paper. This dude has had his license removed to practice in a neighboring state! Kind of scary who the USCIS recommends these days... O_o

I guess there could be worse RFE's to receive.. but it is kind of defeating and embarrassing how bad the government behaves sometimes..

If you have transcripts of vaccinations (I'm assuming you do since that's what the nurse at Knightsbridge would have used to fill out your DS3025) then it's just a case of someone copying it over to the I-693, so it shouldn't cost much money. I've seen people getting away with just spending $5 for that process. I would call all the CS's that you wouldn't mind going to and ask them how much they charge to transcribe your vaccination list to a I-693 NOT for a full medical and see what they say. If they start telling you that you need a full medical then ignore them, they're out for your dollars/don't know what they're talking about!

Oh dear, that is bad! Glad that you did your research!

Yup, every time I explain the process of immigration to someone they are alarmed at how much we go through. The average bear thinks it's easy to get in to America and that's what the media would like people to think too. It's definitely not as bad as other countries, but still a lot of waiting and tedious form filling.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

I think many civil surgeons are in creepy parts of town or foreign trained doctors. It's almost like they can't establish a thriving medical practice so sign up to do immigrant physicals as well. It's cash money at any price they choose to charge since it doesn't fall under insurance policies. I don't know it's that the U.S. Government recommends them as such, but more like they applied and met the requirements.

Some of the questions you all have discussed...

There are so many places and individuals where your AOS adjudication can land. Some keep up with their manual and memos and some may not. K1s are a small fraction of the adjustment of status process that they may be vague on how to handle you. Same goes for Civil Surgeons who don't keep up with the exceptions. Most adjustment cases from other visas didn't do a recent medical and so if you say visa medical to a CS office, many assume it's the whole medical required and won't listen to what you have to say. Unfortunately your experience with RFEs and Civil Surgeons can have the luck or bad luck factor.

The Yuna RFE, like most of them, is a generically worded blurb that may not exactly tell YOU what is expected. It does sound like they are asking for the vaccinations only, as if they didn't see the DS-3025 or are inexperienced and not familiar with K1 exceptions. It's unlikely they would have the medical without the original vaccination sheet which is part of it. Some have successfully replied with a new photocopy and dialog saying they believed their RFE to be in error because all of the required vaccinations are documented and signed off by a panel physician, and they detail their shots and dates or waiver (if Varicella history or not flu season).

Somebody recently posted they were afraid to do that so got a full new medical exam. But before their things had time to arrive and process, their AOS was approved. So what the heck?? RFE mistake? Probably. Yuna if you get the vaccination sheet done, somebody could come back and say you need a new medical. I've seen people like Shana approved just fine because their medical was within one year when they submitted it, to others who were told it expired. AnnaGrant was told her vaccinations sheet had expired, but had her (by then) "old" medical accepted. The shots don't expire. Either you got them or you didn't. They were all there. Weirdness happens to some.

Simon--I personally would also choose to submit some documentation with mine saying why i believe it to be complete. I didn't agree with those who answered your thread. Nothing over the top like I think you may tend to get. And make sure you understand it exactly so you don't come across as a bozo who is off track.

Knightsbridge nurse-- she has no clue about the AOS process, nor the costs and hassles of dealing with civil surgeons. Knightsbridge often tell people to go back to their GP and send his note of your missing shots. Nope, the USCIS does not take vaccination proof from a foreign GP. They want everything signed off on one official form--

DS-3025 by an official Panel Physician, or

I-693 by an official Civil Surgeon.

[yuna628 9,676]

I think many civil surgeons are in creepy parts of town or foreign trained doctors. It's almost like they can't establish a thriving medical practice so sign up to do immigrant physicals as well. It's cash money at any price they choose to charge since it doesn't fall under insurance policies. I don't know it's that the U.S. Government recommends them as such, but more like they applied and met the requirements.

Some of the questions you all have discussed...

There are so many places and individuals where your AOS adjudication can land. Some keep up with their manual and memos and some may not. K1s are a small fraction of the adjustment of status process that they may be vague on how to handle you. Same goes for Civil Surgeons who don't keep up with the exceptions. Most adjustment cases from other visas didn't do a recent medical and so if you say visa medical to a CS office, many assume it's the whole medical required and won't listen to what you have to say. Unfortunately your experience with RFEs and Civil Surgeons can have the luck or bad luck factor.

The Yuna RFE, like most of them, is a generically worded blurb that may not exactly tell YOU what is expected. It does sound like they are asking for the vaccinations only, as if they didn't see the DS-3025 or are inexperienced and not familiar with K1 exceptions. It's unlikely they would have the medical without the original vaccination sheet which is part of it. Some have successfully replied with a new photocopy and dialog saying they believed their RFE to be in error because all of the required vaccinations are documented and signed off by a panel physician, and they detail their shots and dates or waiver (if Varicella history or not flu season).

Somebody recently posted they were afraid to do that so got a full new medical exam. But before their things had time to arrive and process, their AOS was approved. So what the heck?? RFE mistake? Probably. Yuna if you get the vaccination sheet done, somebody could come back and say you need a new medical. I've seen people like Shana approved just fine because their medical was within one year when they submitted it, to others who were told it expired. AnnaGrant was told her vaccinations sheet had expired, but had her (by then) "old" medical accepted. The shots don't expire. Either you got them or you didn't. They were all there. Weirdness happens to some.

Thanks Nich-Nick.

We will send what they ask and pray hard that they are not so nasty as to then hit us with a medical redo, or perhaps that they realize their error. I hope this means that we will be close to approval, and that we can forget about the USCIS for a little while at least. While I could challenge their request, and even send another copy of a DS3025, I tend to think this would only seem snarky to them. While I love being a snarky rebel, I tend to think this would only annoy them more

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Thanks Nich-Nick.

We will send what they ask and pray hard that they are not so nasty as to then hit us with a medical redo, or perhaps that they realize their error. I hope this means that we will be close to approval, and that we can forget about the USCIS for a little while at least. While I could challenge their request, and even send another copy of a DS3025, I tend to think this would only seem snarky to them. While I love being a snarky rebel, I tend to think this would only annoy them more

Fair enough. I guess I just don't think it is snarky or that they get emotionally involved enough to get their feelings hurt. But I totally understand if you just want to pay up and finish.

[SariEva 17]

We're waiting for NOA2, but in the meantime, I've been trying to prepare for the next steps in this process. This issue of lost or missing DS-3025 has caught my attention because my fiance is currently in the process of getting his immunization records up to date. We want him to have everything in place when he has the medical exam. I have two questions:

1. Will Knightsbridge give us a copy of the DS-3025? Can my fiance ask for a copy to be sent to him?

2. So far, everything seems to be in order, except for the Varicella vaccine. The nurse at his GP's office is looking for record that he had chicken pox as a child. He is sure that he did, but is considering having the Varicella vaccine administered now, to try to make it as easy as possible for the Knightsbridge doctor to correctly complete the required form and avoid any potential issues when we start the AOS process. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Edited May 24, 2016 by SariEva

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

We're waiting for NOA2, but in the meantime, I've been trying to prepare for the next steps in this process. This issue of lost or missing DS-3025 has caught my attention because my fiance is currently in the process of getting his immunization records up to date. We want him to have everything in place when he has the medical exam. I have two questions:

1. Will Knightsbridge give us a copy of the DS-3025? Can my fiance ask for a copy to be sent to him?

2. So far, everything seems to be in order, except for the Varicella vaccine. The nurse at his GP's office is looking for record that he had chicken pox as a child. He is sure that he did, but is considering having the Varicella vaccine administered now, to try to make it as easy as possible for the Knightsbridge doctor to correctly complete the required form and avoid any potential issues when we start the AOS process. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

DS-3025 is the immunization page from the multi-page medical report. Yes. They give everybody a photocopy of that on the day of the medical, but not the rest of the medical results pages. The medical report (with the original immunization page) get couriered to the embassy. The problems some people have had is not for lack of having a photocopy of the DS-3025. It's more an individual office or adjudicator decision during AOS. Nothing really you can do ahead of time other than get all the required shots signed off at Knightsbridfe and check the sheet they fill out for correctness before leaving the building.

Varicella shot is waived of you have had chickenpox. They do not require written proof. You just tell them "I had chickenpox when I was six years old" or whatever. Then make sure they tick the box on the Varicella line that says "Varicella History", meaning you have a medical history of having the disease varicella (chickenpox). No point in finding somone who can give the shot. It's expensive and wouldn't help,anything to have it instead of the varicella history marked.

[SariEva 17]

DS-3025 is the immunization page from the multi-page medical report. Yes. They give everybody a photocopy of that on the day of the medical, but not the rest of the medical results pages. The medical report (with the original immunization page) get couriered to the embassy. The problems some people have had is not for lack of having a photocopy of the DS-3025. It's more an individual office or adjudicator decision during AOS. Nothing really you can do ahead of time other than get all the required shots signed off at Knightsbridfe and check the sheet they fill out for correctness before leaving the building.

Varicella shot is waived of you have had chickenpox. They do not require written proof. You just tell them "I had chickenpox when I was six years old" or whatever. Then make sure they tick the box on the Varicella line that says "Varicella History", meaning you have a medical history of having the disease varicella (chickenpox). No point in finding somone who can give the shot. It's expensive and wouldn't help,anything to have it instead of the varicella history marked.

Perfect! Thank you!