K1 Visa Medical Exam Review for Dr. Gulzar Cheema in Surrey, BC - April 2024

[inbriars 13]

Sharing my recent experience with Dr. Gulzar Cheema in Surrey, BC for the medical exam in case anyone may find it helpful. 🙂

 

Medical Exam date: April 9, 2024 at 0700, finished the entire process at 0820
Cost: Paid the cost for my age range, no additional fees required

 

Getting the appointment:
I had to email them at panelphysicianusa@drcheema.ca - I included my appointment confirmation and my vaccination record. I got my packet 4 emailed in the afternoon on March 20, 2024, so their office responded first thing the next morning with availability. They initially offered me April 12, 2024 and beyond but that timeline felt too close with my interview date. I read on the booklet they send you by email that you can ask about earlier dates if you're in the area. So I said I was going to be and asked for April 8 or April 9 - they fit me in April 9. There was some confusion about vaccines for me so I sent them my vaccination records again with my questions and we were able to sort it out by email. Aman and Indu are very kind and helpful throughout the process. Both appear to monitor the email, but it is mostly Aman.

 

Appointment day:
I showed up for my appointment 20 minutes early and ended up walking in at 0645. There was lots of parking available at this time. The door was already open and there was one other person there. They asked for the 5 passport photos, my appointment confirmation, my vaccination record, my passport, and another photo ID. I included my recent bloodwork from September 2023 that showed my immunity for varicella, because I only received one dose as a child and have never had chicken pox (we discovered this by email). They wanted to take my records but asked if I needed it back. I said yes, so they made copies of it.

They book you in ahead of time for the blood work - mine was at 0720. The office began to fill up fast and because of this and my approaching blood work time, Indu asked me if I could go to the lab first, so I did. It was around the corner and isn't the one that's in the booklet. The lab was great but also filling up fast. Indu cut my passport photos further and put one on my lab work requisition. At Life Labs, she gave it back to me and said she didn't need it but I unfortunately cannot use it further because it's been trimmed to be smaller than the 2x2 inch standard. The girl was amazing, she poked me once, took one vial worth of blood and I was on my way, super quick! I did not need to provide a urine test. Then I went back to Dr. Cheema's office and was seen right away. Indu got me to take off my shoes and weigh myself, then she took my height. Then I waited in the exam room for him. He was super kind - talked about the eclipse, asked me all the standard questions they do for physicals - any histories, etc. Then he asked me to cover one eye and read a line on this handheld eye chart. Then he listened to my chest with his stethoscope, took my blood pressure, had me lie down, pressed on my stomach, felt my wrist. I was good to go, it was 5-10 minutes max. He asked if I had any questions. Then he gave me the requisition for x-ray, which is the address given in the booklet. It is walk-in basis only. It is about a 6 minute drive north up the road, parking is in the back with first hour free. I waited here for about 20 minutes. They took one chest x-ray and that was it. It was all a great and very efficient process. I do believe having an earlier time slot helped because all the places can fill up quickly. As others have said to me, the process is much easier than the stress we put ourselves through getting to it.

 

What I learned:

• A series of 3 doses received in childhood of Hepatitis B gives you a lifetime immunity
• Hepatitis A is not required
• Tdap is required within the last 10 years (I got this beforehand)
• COVID-19 booster is required within the last 12 months (I got this beforehand)
• Polio booster is not required
• Varicella requires two doses, if you do not have both or records of both, you can get your family physician to get bloodwork done to test for immunity. If it is reactive, you are immune. An additional dose if needed at the office would have been $95.00 CAD
• They provide you with a CD (for border crossing) and vaccination record (for AOS) by mail - they told me this is not required for the interview
• Once results are sent to the US embassy, you will receive an email stating so

[mariagomez 21]

Thank you for the review! How is the parking around the office? is it street parking only? I'm going in for my exam tomorrow but mine is at 9am so I'm worried about finding parking. Also, thank you for the info about the varicella vaccine, I just realized I only got one dose as a child so I will have to pay for it there, good to know beforehand though.

[inbriars 13]

1 hour ago, mariagomez said:

Thank you for the review! How is the parking around the office? is it street parking only? I'm going in for my exam tomorrow but mine is at 9am so I'm worried about finding parking. Also, thank you for the info about the varicella vaccine, I just realized I only got one dose as a child so I will have to pay for it there, good to know beforehand though.

 

You're welcome. Great question! There is a parking lot by the office. The complex behind it also has lots of parking space. I would GPS to the address provided and not to what Google populates as Dr. Cheema as I noticed they are slightly different locations. Go north on 120 St and turn right into the complex. It feels like going down an alley. There is a directory that says Scottsdale Square Business Centre and has Dr. Cheema listed below it. I found that looking at the street view ahead of time was helpful.

Good luck! It really isn't as bad as we make it out to be with all the stress this process brings forth.

Edited April 18 by inbriars