Two Consulate Interviews / Medical Denial [merged threads]

[top_secret 2,389]

24 minutes ago, mapo said:

Hello everyone. We received some sad news today.

 

After persevering through three years and a pandemic she finally got a rejection letter.

 

She has a residual scar on her lung from Covid which they cited as the reason for a medical rejection.

 

They're saying it could be "TB activity." My understanding is that there's no way to get rid of lung scarring, even if the virus hasn't been active in years. When she called the consulate, they gave her the impression that this was a permanent condition which persists even after the virus clears out.

 

This is a devastating result for our family. She's dealing with a lot of guilt from being rejected, and she's blaming herself.

 

I would be interested if any of you have heard of anyone coming back from this kind of rejection. I am grateful for any support or information that you could provide.

 

For my part, I think I will emigrate to Philippines so that I can be with her.

 

A "residual scar" on a chest x-ray is unfortunately not uncommon in the Philippines but is NEVER a cause for a rejection in and of itself.  A scar on a chest x-ray would result in referral for sputum testing.  That step has not been mentioned.  Was that completed?  Failure to complete sputum testing if it was ordered might result in a medical denial.  If the three month sputum test WAS completed and active TB WAS detected in the culture then she would be required to complete a 6 month course of monitored daily treatment which would be followed by another three month sputum test.  Was that completed?   While that is a particularly onerous outcome it still generally results in a cleared medical.  Only failure to complete testing and treatment as directed or ongoing active TB in sputum cultures would result in a denial based on TB.  A denial would NEVER be based on an x-ray alone.

 

It sounds like there may just be a misunderstanding where she is being asked to complete additional testing and if she doesn't it may result in a denial for failure to complete the next step.  You need to get much more specific information about what was done and said but a chest x-ray alone will not cause a rejection.

[nelmagriffin 148]

Greetings!

She needed to have the sputum test for culture to rule out TB and if they determined that there is an active TB, then she will be undergoing for six months treatment. She will be asked to be near the hospital where they recommend as TB treatment strategy is DOTS, MEANING DIRECTLY OBESRVED TREATMENT.

ALSO, TB IS A BACTERIAL INFECTION AND NOT VIRAL. 

Edited June 21, 2023 by nelmagriffin

[Crazy Cat 41,729]

1 hour ago, mapo said:

ACTIVITY UNDETERMINED

That is the key.  She will likely need a definitive diagnostic test. 

[SalishSea 17,779]

2 hours ago, mapo said:

Hello everyone. We received some sad news today.

 

After persevering through three years and a pandemic she finally got a rejection letter.

 

She has a residual scar on her lung from Covid which they cited as the reason for a medical rejection.

 

They're saying it could be "TB activity." My understanding is that there's no way to get rid of lung scarring, even if the virus hasn't been active in years. When she called the consulate, they gave her the impression that this was a permanent condition which persists even after the virus clears out.

 

This is a devastating result for our family. She's dealing with a lot of guilt from being rejected, and she's blaming herself.

 

I would be interested if any of you have heard of anyone coming back from this kind of rejection. I am grateful for any support or information that you could provide.

 

For my part, I think I will emigrate to Philippines so that I can be with her.

That makes no sense from a medical perspective.  Even confirmed TB is not a permanent inadmissibility, as it is treatable.  There must be more to this story.

[nelmagriffin 148]

Greetings!

This is not uncommon, during chest x-ray, if the results show spots, meaning scarring then one must undergo a sputum test to rule out TB.

I remembered few postings on the site talking about the hassle of being tested, which is not a denial, but rather another delay for the visa application to be complete. Here is what I remembered, but not sure if this is still the current procedure. I hope it helps. 

- When they see scarring from your chest x-ray result, they will schedule you for a sputum test which is three consecutive days. One must carefully follow the instructions given once in the clinic on how to properly collect the sputum samples, to avoid another delay.

- After the third day collection, they will give you a doctors evaluation schedule and it is usually one week after the last day of the sputum test.

- On the evaluation schedule, you will know if the test results, either you have a positive or negative result, and the doctor will explain of why a test was needed to be done. So, if the result is positive, then you will need six months treatment at St. Lukes everyday as the strategy is DOTS treatment, meaning directly observed treatment when taking your medications.

- and if you have a negative result, they still need to culture sputum for six to eight weeks, monitor the culture and if they turn positive even before six to eight weeks, the clinic will contact you and will have to start the treatment. if it is negative then you will have to go back and get your immunization shots, then you will be going home with your medical clearance, immunization form, CD x-ray, and a slip to guide you on how to schedule an interview appointment. And I think the rest of the medical result will be directly forwarded to the Us Embassy,

note: one thing that they mentioned is to be mindful with expiration of your medical examination date. It is one year, but if you went to a sputum test then it is six months. Does this mean that you may have your interview prior to your medical?  I am not sure about this, but I'd read few who had their interview before there medical. Otherwise you will have to repeat the whole medical process as well as the payment.

- 

Edited June 21, 2023 by nelmagriffin

[Chancy 6,241]

2 hours ago, mapo said:

I will ask her if it was worded as a refusal or a denial.

 

Did you see the letter yourself?  Is it definitely from the consulate?  Or are you just relaying what you heard from your beneficiary?

 

There's something odd with this case.  The consulate in Manila relies on SLEC for all visa medical exams.  If your beneficiary had any TB-related medical findings, SLEC would not have cleared her for interview at all (I have first-hand experience with this).  I have not heard of any K1 or immigrant visa applicant in Manila who was able to bypass SLEC medical clearance.  As far as I know, the consulate in Manila has a policy of not allowing visa applicants to interview unless they complete their SLEC medical.  That may include sputum testing if there are suspicious areas on the chest x-ray, and TB treatment if sputum testing shows positive for active TB.

 

Edited June 21, 2023 by Chancy

[Chancy 6,241]

3 hours ago, mapo said:

I just posted the result in a different thread.

 

Again, what is the case status on CEAC?

 

[SalishSea 17,779]

1 hour ago, Chancy said:

 

Did you see the letter yourself?  Is it definitely from the consulate?  Or are you just relaying what you heard from your beneficiary?

 

There's something odd with this case.  The consulate in Manila relies on SLEC for all visa medical exams.  If your beneficiary had any TB-related medical findings, SLEC would not have cleared her for interview at all (I have first-hand experience with this).  I have not heard of any K1 or immigrant visa applicant in Manila who was able to bypass SLEC medical clearance.  As far as I know, the consulate in Manila has a policy of not allowing visa applicants to interview unless they complete their SLEC medical.  That may include sputum testing if there are suspicious areas on the chest x-ray, and TB treatment if sputum testing shows positive for active TB.

 

Good point!

[top_secret 2,389]

Given that you previously posted that your fiancée was asked to come back for a second visa interview and now given this result, one could vaguely surmise that perhaps she was tagged for sputum testing at her physical but did not complete it and still somehow went to and was allowed to keep her first interview without a completed medical examination.  Which might possibly explain why they said they would call her back for a second interview.  Was a second interview actually completed with the medical examination still not completed ??????  Or is the paperwork mentioning  "PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS UPPER LEFT LUNG ACTIVITY UNDETERMINED" some kind of instruction prior to a second interview being completed.  You need to find out very specifically what is being written and by whom.  It seems that clearly the previous mention of a second interview being needed and the apparently incomplete medical examination are related and not fully explained.

[Cathi 5,745]

4 hours ago, mapo said:

Thanks for your kind words.

 

The letter says PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS UPPER LEFT LUNG ACTIVITY UNDETERMINED.

 

We are going to attempt to get a certification that her TB is gone and it's just a scar.

I will ask her if it was worded as a refusal or a denial.

You said in your original post that the scarring is from covid.

[Boiler 45,417]

I am assuming TB and Manilla, COVID? was misleading.

 

Not uncommon and many people have gone through this.

[top_secret 2,389]

In the Philippines it would not make any difference if lung scarring was due to, or suspected to be due to COVID, TB, smoking or anything else.  It would trigger sputum testing and the medical exam would not be complete and the beneficiary would not be eligible to interview until the cause was no longer "undetermined" and it was found to either not be active TB or it was treated.  The glaring discrepancy here is that apparently an interview did take place, despite the medical exam not being complete, which is not permitted in the Philippines.  Where that leaves the case is uncertain without more information but the incompleteness of the medical exam would clearly seem to be the root cause of the problem.

[TBoneTX 45,199]

Related threads have been merged.

[SalishSea 17,779]

8 hours ago, Cathi said:

You said in your original post that the scarring is from covid.

It could be from Covid, previous TB infection, or smoldering TB.  The only way to know is via the well-established TB sputum testing protocol, which is quite routine at Saint Luke's and for Filipino visa applicants.

 

The source of the scarring isn't really relevant - what doesn't make sense is that it would be given as a reason for inadmissibility.  An expected result would be for the applicant to get a 221g pending testing.  But as @Chancy points out, someone with a suspected or confirmed TB infection would not even have an interview, as it seems the medical exam is required to be done prior to the interview for USEM (not a requirement for many other embassies).

 

In the totality of OP's posting history and stories, something here isn't adding up.....

[mapo 12]

On 6/21/2023 at 10:08 AM, Crazy Cat said:

What does the letter say?  Lung scarring, alone, is not an inadmissible condition.  Even active TB can be treated.  Is it a refusal or a denial??  Do not abandon hope at this point....

She told me the technical phrasing is "Health related refusal," and we were "put on hold until additional health clearance," so it seems all hope is not lost, after all.

 

She's going to go in for sputum testing. Thank you for your kind words of encouragement.

 

At this point, I'm considering just emigrating there in order to be with her.