I-693A OUTRAGE

[selly 0]

I agree. I think a lot of people in the USCIS chain, don't really understand how the fit into the bigger process. And the people that are just affliated with USCIS (not actual direct employees) like CS, don't understand the difference between the visa classes.

This would be a good argument if they were willing to look and agree with USCIS paperwork that clearly states what is required, however they catagorically refuse to do anything less than a full medical. Faced with this sort of bull headedness, I am firmly of the opinion that they are only interested in making the big bucks and feel that a 693A is not worth the hassle.

[Carlawarla 1]

I certainly agree with the poster. While I didn't have to have a second physical, I did have to pay $50.00 for my supplemental. My vaccinations were included with my K-1 "package" which did show up at my AOS interview. I saw it. Soooooooooooooooo.....therefore a copy or record from a physican from my country was included in that package. The physican I saw was not my regular GP, but some Dr. who was a US civil surgeon in Canada. So, why they wouldn't take his word for it, I don't know!!

I've heard tell of people here printing off information from USCIS websites saying another medical didn't have to be done etc. and Doctors here saying that they didn't care what USCIS said..it was their business, and they were going to require another physical.

This is #######. Just another way to make money I believe. Doctors who don't cooperate with the requirements, should be taken off the list, I agree. Funny enough, I'm in St. Louis MO here and all the doctors on the list are in a very wealthy area of the city.

Carla

[JoeCanuk 3]

It was no problem for me to get just the vaccinsation supplement. They only charged me 28 bucks.

I will be very angry though if I have to get another medical as I am filing AOS this week. My medical was last October 10th. I figured if it was in the mail by that date, I should be fine. Any more red tape bureaucrat ####### and I'm going to take my wife back to Canada with me.

[RandyFabi 0]

As mentioned above, I used Doctor Arnold. I just called them and left a message on their voicemail. They called me back about 20 minutes later and told me how to proceed. It was incredibly simple and only cost $10. They had the I-693A completed and mailed back to me within a week or so.

Dr. L.E. Arnold

4534 Westgate Boulevard, Suite 106

Austin, TX 78745

Tel: (512)444-3131

Fax: (512)447-4699

Peace to you!

Mark-N-AAm

DANG! Wish I would have found this thread earlier! Good info guys. My civil surgeon here in Houston cost me $150 plus the TB xray of $40!

[*JG* 2]

My only warning in all this is to make sure you need to even see the civil surgeon before you go to all the trouble. All I did was mail in a copy of Andre's vaccination card from his doctor with our AOS. We were never required to do anything else and did not interview.

[pervez 4]

Over the last couple of years I have looked at the US medical facilities and set up through rose tinted spectacles when compaired to the mess of the UK National Health Service. I listened to the complaints about the medical insurance requirements and thought that if it produces good service then hey, it's clearly working. Having now become a resident and just gone through the turmoil of finding a Civil Surgeon that will just do the I-693A, my outlook is changing rapidly. The list of approved civil surgeons is full of greed merchants that refuse to just complete the suppliment purely because they cannot get the full physical fee! In my opinion they should be struck off the approved list if they are not prepared to provide the service mandated by the appropriate authority ie USCIS.

We are so annoyed by this attitude we are going to write to my wife's senator to urge him to take some action and we would urge all others who have found the same poison to do similar.

Too many of these people have abused their position for too long at our expense and it should be stopped!

Thankfully I have found one surgeon on my 'local' (50 mile round trip) list that is willing to follow the guidelines.

Good Luck to all from annoyed in Tampa.

Well there's only one guy in the Triangle area, Dr. Mark Arthur Samia at Medfirst Medical Center, so hence I went to him.

If you are going to travel around, then avoid getting the I-693A at this guy.

In my country people are given the MMR (Measles, Mimps and Rubella) shot as kids, in general, and none of those deseases has been problematic for decades. In fact our healthcare system is like all the other Scandivanian/Nordic ones better than the US.

Well Dr. Samia decided that since I'd had a MMR shot then I'd need to give a blood sample and be checked for Rubella, although I'd just been given a medical check up at home in a few months. Dr. Samia apparently does not understand that it is ONLY his task to transfer my vaccinations onto a standard USCIS form, but not to doublecheck as I've already had a medical exam.

So the cost of the I-693A was $200.00, which I went with, with complaint to the Medical Center, since he's the only one in a few hrs radius.

But if you can, then stay away from Dr. Samia.

Edited October 5, 2007 by pervez

[Rubycon 0]

This is indeed a timely thread as I was just ripped off by a doctor who didn't understand what was required, despite me repeatedly saying all I needed was the vaccination supplement. They also claimed that my vaccination history was not complete despite having the medical results from Bentinck Mansions in London right there in front of them - thereby directly contradicing another civil surgeon! To cut a long story short I complained several times and demanded a full refund - they gave us the runaround so we stopped the credit card payment and so it is now in the hands of the credit card company...

After a few phone calls we found a CS who knew right away what was required and when we visited her, she was able to issue the I-693A (signed, stamped, sealed) in 5 minutes - cost $51!

I think a "supplemental" list of doctors from USCIS's CS list who are aware of and comply with the procedures required for K1ers completing the I-693A would be an asset to VJ. Perhaps a sticky or something else? Mods?

[Nanusia & Lukaszek 0]

I think I called about 100 CS in the Chicago area and was about to just call it quits and pay the full medical fee cause I was so sick of explaining to each one how my husband was a K1 and I did not need a full medical and x-rays, that this was done in the home country. No one believed me and kept telling me "lady you dont know what you are talking about, that's not what immigration wants, they want the full medical, and its $350". Then it seemed like a light at the end of the tunnel when I called a CS with an office name of "Immigrant Services" and over the phone they said it was FREE if I had the vaccination records in English, which I did. I drove over there so fast like you could not believe. I get there and all of the sudden its not free. I think it was only free to immigrants in the area. Cause the CS commented and said, "oh you are from XXX suburb" and then said $50. I said your secretary said its free. He said that's for our people. I think this was a little discriminating, but whatever, $50 was better than the $350 everyone else wanted.

I say we put together a letter that everyone of us here on VJ can print out & sign and send off to our congressmen & senators and their moms too. The more letters they get, maybe they'll actually do something.

It's not like the USCIS is not ripping us off with these crazy fees, we need CS to take the rest of our wallets

[tommyesq73 0]

Over the last couple of years I have looked at the US medical facilities and set up through rose tinted spectacles when compaired to the mess of the UK National Health Service. I listened to the complaints about the medical insurance requirements and thought that if it produces good service then hey, it's clearly working. Having now become a resident and just gone through the turmoil of finding a Civil Surgeon that will just do the I-693A, my outlook is changing rapidly. The list of approved civil surgeons is full of greed merchants that refuse to just complete the suppliment purely because they cannot get the full physical fee! In my opinion they should be struck off the approved list if they are not prepared to provide the service mandated by the appropriate authority ie USCIS.

We are so annoyed by this attitude we are going to write to my wife's senator to urge him to take some action and we would urge all others who have found the same poison to do similar.

Too many of these people have abused their position for too long at our expense and it should be stopped!

Thankfully I have found one surgeon on my 'local' (50 mile round trip) list that is willing to follow the guidelines.

Good Luck to all from annoyed in Tampa.

I agree....i was able to find a civil surgeon who was willing to just do the I693a after about 20 phone calls.

[LaL 418]

Out of curiosity, why does everyone keep referring to the vaccination supplement as I-693a? Is it just because it happens to be appendix "a"? If so, that seems to be a bit of a misnomer since there is no "form" I-693a.

[tommyesq73 0]

its actually titled supplement to form I-693

[Neonred 3,562]

I know what you all are saying as it was the same problem for us. My wife had all the necessary vaccinations done at her K-1 medical and we had the DS-3025 I had told her to get a copy of from that medical. We sent that in with the initial AOS application. I tried every CS in our area and they all wanted the full medical except the CS at the local health department, but they couldn't see us for a month. I said "screw it" and decided to try to get by with just what we sent in figuring the worst case they would delay us until we did the supplement. Turns out the DS-3025 was fine in our case. The interviewer at our AOS even looked at it during our interview and said our medical looked great.

[Tiger320 0]

I know what you all are saying as it was the same problem for us. My wife had all the necessary vaccinations done at her K-1 medical and we had the DS-3025 I had told her to get a copy of from that medical. We sent that in with the initial AOS application. I tried every CS in our area and they all wanted the full medical except the CS at the local health department, but they couldn't see us for a month. I said "screw it" and decided to try to get by with just what we sent in figuring the worst case they would delay us until we did the supplement. Turns out the DS-3025 was fine in our case. The interviewer at our AOS even looked at it during our interview and said our medical looked great.

I agree with the ideas mentioned above. The CS are sometimes a bit crazy. It took me awhile to find a CS that would do our vaccination supplement for free. We, as people, already pay high enough for the fees. It's ridiculous that the CS aren't more informed or the USCIS aren't as regulatory. I guess it's all about the money... everything is nowadays. *sigh*