Vaccinations

[Sparky223 16]

We are still a long ways off from doing medicals but do you think it is useful to have my wife start getting her vaccines or wait until she goes in for medicals?

[Coco8 1,042]

It depends on which vaccines she does not have. Not all of them are necessary. And it also depends on whether she had any of the diseases they are supposed to prevent. 

 

She should consult a doctor.

Edited June 29, 2018 by Coco8

[023203 3]

I think the vaccines are part of the payment. If she's missing any, she'll be given what's missing during the medical. So no need to do advanced vaccination, and potentially double the costs.

[JoelThai 313]

2 hours ago, 023203 said:

I think the vaccines are part of the payment. If she's missing any, she'll be given what's missing during the medical. So no need to do advanced vaccination, and potentially double the costs.

 

Vaccination costs covered in the standard medical fee is certainly not the case, at least for some embassies.   Depending on vaccinations required and locality, and the provider, costs for vaccinations alone could be close to $200 or more.  For example, in Thailand, if vaccinations are required during the medical, the cost is definitely added to the fixed medical fee, and there may be less expensive places to receive the vaccinations than at the hospital during the exam.   In Thailand, the Red Cross Vaccination clinic is the preferred place to receive vaccinations with a cost fee much less than the Bangkok Embassy's chosen hospitals which they authorize to perform the medical review.

 

Additionally, some vaccinations may require more than one shot, such as MMR (Mumps, Measles, and Rubella)  and some embassies (such at Bangkok) will want to see vaccination (or immunity) to Hep A and Hep B which are multi sequence shots covering requiring a 6 month time period between shots.   Some vaccinations may be completed in the US, but generally it is significantly cheaper to get them before immigrating.   If the beneficiary does not have records of vaccination history, there are tests the clinics/hospitals can perform to determine what remains to be needed, but it takes time to get test results.   This is another reason not to wait until the day of the medical exam to think about Vaccinations.

 

I also suggest consulting medical instructions posted by your embassy (if available) and reviewing threads posted in the appropriate Regional Discussion thread to see if this topic is discussed there which can provide expectations of the local embassy.   

 

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/100-regional-discussion/

 

 

[023203 3]

6 minutes ago, JoelThai said:

 

Vaccination costs covered in the standard medical fee is certainly not the case, at least for some embassies.   Depending on vaccinations required and locality, and the provider, costs for vaccinations alone could be close to $200 or more.  For example, in Thailand, if vaccinations are required during the medical, the cost is definitely added to the fixed medical fee, and there may be less expensive places to receive the vaccinations than at the hospital during the exam.   In Thailand, the Red Cross Vaccination clinic is the preferred place to receive vaccinations with a cost fee much less than the Bangkok Embassy's chosen hospitals which they authorize to perform the medical review.

 

Additionally, some vaccinations may require more than one shot, such as MMR (Mumps, Measles, and Rubella)  and some embassies (such at Bangkok) will want to see vaccination (or immunity) to Hep A and Hep B which are multi sequence shots covering requiring a 6 month time period between shots.   Some vaccinations may be completed in the US, but generally it is significantly cheaper to get them before immigrating.   If the beneficiary does not have records of vaccination history, there are tests the clinics/hospitals can perform to determine what remains to be needed, but it takes time to get test results.   This is another reason not to wait until the day of the medical exam to think about Vaccinations.

 

I also suggest consulting medical instructions posted by your embassy (if available) and reviewing threads posted in the appropriate Regional Discussion thread to see if this topic is discussed there which can provide expectations of the local embassy.   

 

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/100-regional-discussion/

 

 

Ah I apologize. I was talking about my experience in the Philippines. That's how it's done here, at least that's what I got from the forums. I'm done with my medical, my vaccinations were complete so I didn't get anything from the US-affiliated clinic here.

[JoelThai 313]

30 minutes ago, 023203 said:

Ah I apologize. I was talking about my experience in the Philippines. That's how it's done here, at least that's what I got from the forums. I'm done with my medical, my vaccinations were complete so I didn't get anything from the US-affiliated clinic here.

 

Yes, this is the tricky part and where the Regional Forums hopefully can be useful.  What one Embassy expects may vary from another which makes it difficult to provide general advice for the Visa issuance portion of the process.   Since I noticed that the OP appears to be processing thru Nigeria, hopefully they can find experience in the Africa Regional forum specific to Nigeria there (or can post for information there).     http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/89-africa-sub-saharan/

 

When the costs of testing  and administration of vaccinations are included in the medical exam fee (as you state in the Philippines ) then that is a very good reason to wait.  Although that may lead to needing some followup vaccinations in the US to complete  multi stage vaccinations (such as MMR, Hep A, and Hep B) if they are needed.  But if the cost is not included in the exam fees, and access to an affordable clinic is convenient, than I suggest not to wait.  One possible exception, since the influenza vaccination is seasonal and changes yearly, perhaps wait for that one (unless you see health benefits to maintaining it).  Otherwise, by the time the medical exam is required, the previously issued influenza vaccination may be out of date. 

 

One other note,  technically, vaccinations are not actually required until just prior to AOS (adjustment of status after arrival in the US), but if for no other reason, from a financial perspective, it is highly likely that fees in US will be much more than if performed in the beneficiaries home country.  

 

"K visa applicants are encouraged to get the vaccinations required under U.S. immigration law for immigrant visa applicants.  Although such vaccinations are not required for K visa issuance, they will be required when adjusting status to that of legal permanent resident following your marriage. Applicants are therefore encouraged to fulfill these vaccination requirements at the time of the medical examination. See Vaccination Requirements for IV Applicants for the list of required vaccinations and additional information."

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/family-immigration/nonimmigrant-visa-for-a-fiance-k-1.html#1

 

 

Edited June 29, 2018 by JoelThai

[JoelThai 313]

51 minutes ago, JoelThai said:

I also suggest consulting medical instructions posted by your embassy (if available) and reviewing threads posted in the appropriate Regional Discussion thread to see if this topic is discussed there which can provide expectations of the local embassy.   

 

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/100-regional-discussion/

 

 

And tail between my legs....  I see this is exactly where they did post their message.     My apologies are also given.  

Edited June 29, 2018 by JoelThai

[JoelThai 313]

Feeling guilty of possibly raising more questions above than answering for @Sparky223, I found some posted experiences for Nigeria Vaccinations in the Africa Regional forum.

 

"For Children's hospital: There is a base/flat fee of N15,550 naira, plus additional fees for each vaccine that you get. My fiance got four vaccines and his total price for the additional four vaccination was N24,500. This was last week September 28 2016."

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/612319-prices-for-medical-in-nigeria/?do=findComment&comment=8333581

 

(note that the fees quoted above appear to be outdated.... Please read the entire thread posted below for more details.)

 

So, yes, there are extra fees for testing and vaccinations, so if there is an opportunity to perform them with less cost at a Vaccination Clinic or Hospital, and doing do is convenient (no significant travel to do so), there are benefits to not waiting (see my postings above).

 

 

Edited June 29, 2018 by JoelThai

[Sparky223 16]

Thank you How do I find info on the vaccinations required for her? As of now she has no record of any vaccinations although she has had a couple. She isn't sure which ones she has gotten though.

[JoelThai 313]

8 hours ago, Sparky223 said:

Thank you How do I find info on the vaccinations required for her? As of now she has no record of any vaccinations although she has had a couple. She isn't sure which ones she has gotten though.

See the section titled "Important Notice to Immigrant Visa Applicants Concerning Vaccination Requirements" for a list of vaccinations required for immigrant Visa Applicants linked below:

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/vaccinations.html

 

Also the forum thread linked in the previous post may discuss actual experiences within Nigeria.

 

If your beneficiary has no vaccination records, the administering clinic/hospital can perform "titter" tests to determine immunity which would eliminate the need for specific vaccinations.   Some vaccinations on this list are not appropriate for an adult, and the clinic/hospital should be able to determine which would not be appropriate for an adult.

 

But for an adult, most likely the following are necessary:

 

MMR. (Mumps Measles Rubella)

Influenza (seasonal flu shot). Flu seasons vary across the globe, so you may want to determine when the latest flu vaccination will become available and wait for that.

Tetanus and diphtheria toxoids (Tdap)

Hep A and Hep B

 

Note that MMR is a two shot sequence, requireing 28 days between doses

Hep A is a two shot sequence, requiring 6 months between doses

Heb B is a 3 shot sequence, requiring 1, and 6 months between the first doses.

 

Disclaimer:  Please note that I am not a doctor and can not give medical advice for anyone.  Please consult with a trained medical physician for what is actually appropriate for your beneficiary.

 

 

 

[JoelThai 313]

20 hours ago, JoelThai said:

One other note,  technically, vaccinations are not actually required until just prior to AOS (adjustment of status after arrival in the US), but if for no other reason, from a financial perspective, it is highly likely that fees in US will be much more than if performed in the beneficiaries home country.

 

In another thread on Visa Journey I performed an analysis of the cost difference between obtaining the vaccinations in my fiancees home country vs performing them in the US at my local county Vaccination Clinic.   In short, it would have cost me over $400 more to get them in the US.