dominican repubic Medical Exams, do we have to redo them?

[jporron 3]

Hi,

I was wondering if the medical exams that are done for K1 visa have an expiration date? We were scheduled for the end of March before our appointment got canceled, we had done vaccines and medical prior to any closures as well. We have reached out to the embassy and have been given a general answer on they are aware and are looking for a solution, since many are wondering if they will have to pay all of that money again.  I follow a lawyer in the Dominican Republic who is working on immigration cases and stated that in a recent visa petition for a US citizen spouse, the medical had expired and they now have to repay to get new ones. I know there's no definitive answer but just wanted to see if anyone knew a little more or if this one scenario was being seen elsewhere. Also would it be possible to get priority on appointment over someone who has not done medical if they are set to expire soon? I called the embassy and their response is we have to wait until the suspension is lifted. Thanks. 

[Just Paul 4,595]

For a visa to be re-issued there needs be a current medical exam.  The good news is that you won't need any vaccinations unless it is flu season.

[geowrian 22,338]

The validity period of the visa is constrained by that of the medical exam. Furthermore, without a valid medical exam, the visa cannot be issued.

The medical is typically valid for 6 months, although certain conditions may limit it to less.

As for scheduling priority, the consulate makes the rules there. They likely have not decided on how to handle it yet, let alone made anything public.

Edited May 12, 2020 by geowrian

[NoMansLand2020 298]

1 hour ago, jporron said:

Hi,

I was wondering if the medical exams that are done for K1 visa have an expiration date? We were scheduled for the end of March before our appointment got canceled, we had done vaccines and medical prior to any closures as well. We have reached out to the embassy and have been given a general answer on they are aware and are looking for a solution, since many are wondering if they will have to pay all of that money again.  I follow a lawyer in the Dominican Republic who is working on immigration cases and stated that in a recent visa petition for a US citizen spouse, the medical had expired and they now have to repay to get new ones. I know there's no definitive answer but just wanted to see if anyone knew a little more or if this one scenario was being seen elsewhere. Also would it be possible to get priority on appointment over someone who has not done medical if they are set to expire soon? I called the embassy and their response is we have to wait until the suspension is lifted. Thanks. 

Yep, unfortunately they expire. It's a joke in my opinion. Especially if you have to travel a long way to do it... Plus if you are sponsoring K2.. It gets expensive real quick. 

[Entheos 95]

The problem is there are many hands in this pot....

 

For your visa you are required to get a medical exam... we all agree that is the case...  These medicals are outsourced to a 3rd party by certain selected Medical examiners.  They are all (as far as I am aware at least in Australia) Private Clinics...not Government or Bulk Bill Clinics...So they are a business.

 

You are not at fault that the global pandemic and shutdown has occurred.

The Consulate is not at fault that the global pandemic and shutdown has occurred.

The Medical Examiner is not at fault that the global pandemic and shutdown has occurred.

Everyone has stopped (or not) and are making their own decisions on what is the safe course of action for their employees.  At the moment the US Government is trying to protect their workers the best they can.

 

Ultimately you are paying for the medical examiner's time again.  That's not their fault.  While I agree that maybe there could be some leniency in the time that the medical exam is valid for due to the situation that we are all in, that's not likely to happen.  The rules are in place... and we don't make the rule.... what is it that @Greenbaum says??  He who has the gold makes the rules.... or at least words to that effect.  It's absolutely frustrating I know... because it's a lot of money.... but ultimately you and I have a choice... do we follow through, or do we abandon our applications over a second medical?  What I would suggest is wait till you are able to get a confirmed answer out of YOUR Consulate/Embassy.... Don't try and get that answer out of them while they are closed.  Once they are open and then either they contact you, or you contact them to reschedule your appointment.. ask the question... 'Hey do we have to redo the medical exam, because it expired while the Embassy was shut?' or something like that.

 

I wish you all the best.... I really do...

[Greenbaum 12,260]

There is a definitive answer and that his a medical is valid for a maximum 6 months and must be valid prior to a visa being issued. In some cases, the exam is valid for less than 6 months which is determined by the local civil surgeon who conducted the exam and the embassy. 

 

Now having gotten that out of the way I can only opine that when the embassies begin to reopen then you will have more information about what will happen. I am sure the embassies are formulating their reopen strategy and until it is complete and ready for publication you will not receive the answer that you are searching for. Calling a closed embassy will in most cases get you their storybook answer. Patience and you will soon know what is and isn't required or what is or isn't going to take place once they reopen. Good luck and stay engaged. 

[geowrian 22,338]

16 hours ago, Solaris81 said:

Yep, unfortunately they expire. It's a joke in my opinion. Especially if you have to travel a long way to do it... Plus if you are sponsoring K2.. It gets expensive real quick. 

I wouldn't call it a joke...there is a legitimate purpose for having the medical exam and it makes sense that they are not valid forever. Medical conditions arise over time. If anything good comes from this pandemic, I would imagine the awareness of the importance of managing Infectious diseases has increased. TB especially for PH.

Traveling a long way sucks, but DOS only has limited options for CDC-approved facilities. Other facilities simply either do not know and/or cannot be trusted to follow CDC procedures.

 

Not to dismiss any hardships that some people may have, but the medical costs (including flights and lodging) are a drop in the bucket compared to the total costs of the K-1 process, especially if a child is involved.

Besides the I-129F and visa fees, there's going to be travel to the US costs, moving expenses, new clothing (temps in PA differ from PH...), AOS fees, considerable increased cost of living expenses, wedding costs (or judicial ceremony costs), insurance premium costs, etc. My now-wife needed a car when she got here too (we don't have good public transit here).

The non-immigration costs after her visa approval easily amounted to over $20k over the first 90 days. We did have a wedding, although it was a small gathering (<30 people). Her car is a very basic A-to-B (used) vehicle. Nothing extravagant anywhere. It would be considerably more with a child involved.

The medical costs for my wife amounted to around $600, including travel to Manila, lodging there (she has friends in the area but wanted to stay nearby and get back home quickly), transit costs, food, etc. I don't consider $600 cheap, but it really was a very small piece in the big picture.

Immigration is not cheap, and the K visa path is not the path when funds are a significant issue. It does get expensive really quickly.

[jporron 3]

Thanks everyone! very true, this is a hard situation for everyone involved and safety comes first. I appreciate all the feedback. Sometimes we only focus on individual things and how something is affecting us personally and not the bigger picture. It's good to refocus. Stay safe everyone.