DS-3025 COVID vaccination requirement

[Brookeandluuk 7]

Dear everyone,

 

Unexpectedly, but very nice, I have received an invitation of the USCIS office to attend my AOS interview only 3 months after filing (K1 to AOS). The letter states the following about I-693:

 

You must bring the following

'If required, a completed Form-I693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, and/or vaccination supplement in a sealed envelope (unless already submitted). Please see the Form I-693 Instructions for guidance on whether you need a complete medical examination, an updated vaccine supplement only, or neither.'  

 

 In June 2021 I have completed my overseas medical and submitted my DS-3025 (with all required vaccinations ticked off) together with my I-485 application. I understand that if AOS is filed within 1 year of my overseas medical, than getting the I-693 is not required. I have not received any RFE regarding the medical. BUT, since October 1st 2021 the vaccination requirements has changed and the COVID vaccination is added to the list. Yet at the time it was not a requirement and is therefore not present on my DS-3025. I have read through the instructions and all I can find is this; 

 

'Even if a new medical examination is not required, you must still show proof that you complied with the vaccination requirements. If the vaccination record (DS 3025) was not properly completed and included as part of the original overseas medical examination report, you will need to have the Part 10. Vaccination Record completed by a designated civil surgeon. In this case, you must submit Parts 1. - 5., 7., and 10. of Form I-693.'

 

The DS-3025 was properly completed, but the USCIS has gotten a new requirement in between my completed medical and the interview, but it is within the validity period of the medical. 

 

Does anyone have any experience on how the USCIS will go about this?

Does anyone know if a new medical OR an updated vaccination record is required before the interview? 

 

Thank you, all help is appreciated.  

[HRQX 4,145]

2 hours ago, Brookeandluuk said:

Does anyone have any experience on how the USCIS will go about this?

The Oct. 1 change is still fairly recent but since DS-3025 was properly completed at the time of K-1 medical then that should suffice.

[IlyaATL 1]

On 11/6/2021 at 5:09 PM, Brookeandluuk said:

Dear everyone,

 

Unexpectedly, but very nice, I have received an invitation of the USCIS office to attend my AOS interview only 3 months after filing (K1 to AOS). The letter states the following about I-693:

CONGRATULATIONS!!! This gives me hope because we are about to file our AOS from K1. 

 

When I saw this, my first reaction was being pleasantly surprised, but then I thought, "this makes sense".

 

The way I see it, immigration is a pipeline: Application for the visa -> visa interview -> physically arriving in the US -> fulfilling requirements for AOS -> Actually filing for AOS.

 

For obvious reasons, this whole process has been slowed down since March 2020. In my opinion, the actual visa interviews took the biggest hit since most embassies weren't holding any interviews throughout that time. Meanwhile, you had the AOS backlog in the US, but something tells me (and this is speculation) that it generally went faster than the embassies. My theory: There just haven't been far less AOS-eligible candidates immigrating to the US over the past 19 months, and therefore less people filing for AOS. Which may be why you got the interview in only 3 months.

 

But please, share more details as to what you did, maybe there are some clues as to how you got such a lightning-fast turnaround!

[Brookeandluuk 7]

7 hours ago, IlyaATL said:

CONGRATULATIONS!!! This gives me hope because we are about to file our AOS from K1. 

 

When I saw this, my first reaction was being pleasantly surprised, but then I thought, "this makes sense".

 

The way I see it, immigration is a pipeline: Application for the visa -> visa interview -> physically arriving in the US -> fulfilling requirements for AOS -> Actually filing for AOS.

 

For obvious reasons, this whole process has been slowed down since March 2020. In my opinion, the actual visa interviews took the biggest hit since most embassies weren't holding any interviews throughout that time. Meanwhile, you had the AOS backlog in the US, but something tells me (and this is speculation) that it generally went faster than the embassies. My theory: There just haven't been far less AOS-eligible candidates immigrating to the US over the past 19 months, and therefore less people filing for AOS. Which may be why you got the interview in only 3 months.

 

But please, share more details as to what you did, maybe there are some clues as to how you got such a lightning-fast turnaround!

I agree with what you are proposing, also I believe that there may be far less AOS candidates than usual due to the stop of visa issuance in some geographic regions due to COVID-19. 

 

During the entire K1 to AOS process I have followed guides on Visajourney to make sure I fully understood the process and everything that needed to be done. That has most likely helped a lot. 

 

Furthermore I believe that in Arkansas, where I filed for AOS, will not have nearly as much 'AOS traffic' flowing through the local USCIS service center. I consider myself lucky somehow getting the opportunity to attend the interview this fast.

 

Hopefully your process will be fast and without any trouble!  

[HRQX 4,145]

On 11/9/2021 at 4:51 PM, Brookeandluuk said:

to attend the interview

Here is a similar case:

 

Her case was approved without being asked about Covid vaccine: https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=358317

Edited November 14, 2021 by HRQX

[Brookeandluuk 7]

21 hours ago, HRQX said:

Here is a similar case:

 

Her case was approved without being asked about Covid vaccine: https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=358317

Thank you once again, this is very useful! 

[dhatty 0]

I think we are moving to Arkansas!

We are 23 months from when our AOS application was received, and still not even scheduled for an interview. 

I do appreciate your logic, but what I've learned since starting my wife's K-1 application with USCIS in 2018, logic is usually not a component of their methodology or actions. 

[Brookeandluuk 7]

On 11/29/2021 at 12:32 AM, dhatty said:

I think we are moving to Arkansas!

We are 23 months from when our AOS application was received, and still not even scheduled for an interview. 

I do appreciate your logic, but what I've learned since starting my wife's K-1 application with USCIS in 2018, logic is usually not a component of their methodology or actions. 

I am sorry to hear that it's taking very long. Arkansas is a beautiful state though, you surely are welcome 😄.

Tomorrow I hope to know more. Sometime later I will update on how it went and how the USCIS went about the DS-3025 and the new vaccination requirements! 

[Brookeandluuk 7]

For those interested, my green card application has been approved. The interview was very easy and smooth. 

My completed overseas medical (DS-3025) was within a year of filing AOS and therefore sufficient for the approval even though the changed policy regarding covid vaccinations 😁

[zham 12]

On 11/6/2021 at 4:09 PM, Brookeandluuk said:

Dear everyone,

 

Unexpectedly, but very nice, I have received an invitation of the USCIS office to attend my AOS interview only 3 months after filing (K1 to AOS). The letter states the following about I-693:

 

You must bring the following

'If required, a completed Form-I693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, and/or vaccination supplement in a sealed envelope (unless already submitted). Please see the Form I-693 Instructions for guidance on whether you need a complete medical examination, an updated vaccine supplement only, or neither.'  

 

 In June 2021 I have completed my overseas medical and submitted my DS-3025 (with all required vaccinations ticked off) together with my I-485 application. I understand that if AOS is filed within 1 year of my overseas medical, than getting the I-693 is not required. I have not received any RFE regarding the medical. BUT, since October 1st 2021 the vaccination requirements has changed and the COVID vaccination is added to the list. Yet at the time it was not a requirement and is therefore not present on my DS-3025. I have read through the instructions and all I can find is this; 

 

'Even if a new medical examination is not required, you must still show proof that you complied with the vaccination requirements. If the vaccination record (DS 3025) was not properly completed and included as part of the original overseas medical examination report, you will need to have the Part 10. Vaccination Record completed by a designated civil surgeon. In this case, you must submit Parts 1. - 5., 7., and 10. of Form I-693.'

 

The DS-3025 was properly completed, but the USCIS has gotten a new requirement in between my completed medical and the interview, but it is within the validity period of the medical. 

 

Does anyone have any experience on how the USCIS will go about this?

Does anyone know if a new medical OR an updated vaccination record is required before the interview? 

 

Thank you, all help is appreciated.  

I am in similar  situation.

 

Timeline:

- Medical Examination: September 2020

- AOS Filing: March 2021

- Interview: March 2022

 

I guess we can go to interview without brining the i693. Is that what you did?