Medical exam.. stupid move, dont repeat, heads up to others!

[Flowerslove21 0]

my fiance just went and got his medical today.. and we thought that it would be a good idea to get some of his vaccines done at a local clinic cause it would be cheaper.. even though the embassy told us to only get them done at the medical centers they recommend... well just so everyone knows, we were stupid. Our interview date was for the 14th.

But the embassy medical exam doctors wont give my fiance his last immunization shot till the 21st.. so we have to reschedule... of course we should have know better! But I just wanted to give a heads up to anyone who thought that it could be possible to make a short cut.

Now im in the proccess of changing interview dates.. uugghhh it sucks!!

[qwerty1974 11]

No way! Sorry to hear that, I'm hoping its different embassy to embassy. Which Vacc. need to be redone???

[Neonred 3,557]

I see you are a K-1. K-1's don't need vaccinations. They can be done in the US before AOS.

[worth_the_wait 12]

I did a lot of research on this a few weeks ago because my finace doesn't have a shot record so he will have to get all of them. I was going to have him get started while we are waiting BUT then I came across this question on the USCIS website and found it very useful. I hope it helps set your mind at ease.

Q: Does USCIS require that all shots in each vaccine series be completed before applying for adjustment of status?

No. The applicant must have received all the required age-appropriate vaccines that could be given at the time of the medical exam. If the applicant has started the vaccination series, but is not able to complete all the required shots because, at the time of the medical exam, the minimum time interval between shots has not passed, the applicant may still apply for adjustment of status. A waiver is available in cases where, due to required time intervals, it was impossible for the applicant to receive all shots in the series before submitting the application for adjustment of status.

For example, the Hepatitis A vaccine requires that applicant receive two doses of vaccine, six months apart. If the applicant receives the first dose in January, he or she does not have to wait until July, when the second dose would be given, to submit the adjustment of status application. However, the applicant must have received at least the first dose of the vaccine, if appropriate, before applying for adjustment of status.

So as long as he has his shots documented then there shouldn't be an issue.

Here's the link to the USCIS Q&A on Vaccinations: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=1758d5b07655b110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD&vgnextchannel=68439c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

[DerZinker 4]

Thanks for the heads-up. While my wife has all her shots, she doesn't have vaccination records and we were thinking of getting some of the required ones before attending the interview since we could probably get them free if we try beforehand. Looks like we'll go ahead and pay what we have to pay.

[Mr&MrsSmith 1]

my fiance just went and got his medical today.. and we thought that it would be a good idea to get some of his vaccines done at a local clinic cause it would be cheaper.. even though the embassy told us to only get them done at the medical centers they recommend... well just so everyone knows, we were stupid. Our interview date was for the 14th.

But the embassy medical exam doctors wont give my fiance his last immunization shot till the 21st.. so we have to reschedule... of course we should have know better! But I just wanted to give a heads up to anyone who thought that it could be possible to make a short cut.

Now im in the proccess of changing interview dates.. uugghhh it sucks!!

what wwere the shots he got done at the clinic???..my fiance did the same thing so i guess when he goes to do the medical tomorrow they're gonna tellhim the same thing..i guess,sucks becuase we were just trying to save some money!!

[Nigerian Queen 16]

exactly that is true about the immunization for k1s I read it also I found it at travel.state.gov website for k1 visa applicants. I was thinking about doing the same thing but he is listening to smart people that knows erverything hint hint lol

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

Hi.. I guess I am a bit confused.. How would have waiting for the medical from the embassy recommend doctors for the shots fixed the issue? The issue as I read it is that the shots were started too late to get them all complete before the interview.. or am I missing something? Would not be the first time

[Flowerslove21 0]

My fiance took his medical sheet to a local clinic and asked which ones he needed and what ones he was missing.. they gave him two of the. a Chickenpox one and a hepititis shot... and told him that the needed his influenza but they didnt have it..

he then went to the embassy 5 days later and they said that because he got those shots he has to wait a month to get the influenza...

this doesnt really make any sense to me.. because in the states they do this all the time.. giving vaccines whenever.. doesnt need a time limit.. I know that he will need to get a second hep shot, but thats in 6 months.. so the whole month waiting period doesnt make much sense..

it was totally just to save some extra money..

we had heard that it worked from friends and also i even checked it out on past posts on visa journey..

its a money sceem for sure.. but the best thing to do it listen..

hopefully to others it is a different situation.. maybe will be over looked??

suck we have to reschdule our interview.. and i still havent been able to hear from the embassy- since they only seem to want to take emails.. anyone know a number so that i can actually talk to a human being and not a voice recording??!!

Hope this is helpful to some

Diane

[aimeevsgarnette 4]

Everything for kingston is through email unfortunately so you just gotta wait for them to reply...hopefully they reply fast.

We went to a local clinic about 3 months before the actual medical and had no problem...he still needed his last dose of Hep B when it came to his medical and they just marked it on the sheet that the last dose is needed still.

[RICARDO4EVA2 194]

my fiance just went and got his medical today.. and we thought that it would be a good idea to get some of his vaccines done at a local clinic cause it would be cheaper.. even though the embassy told us to only get them done at the medical centers they recommend... well just so everyone knows, we were stupid. Our interview date was for the 14th.

But the embassy medical exam doctors wont give my fiance his last immunization shot till the 21st.. so we have to reschedule... of course we should have know better! But I just wanted to give a heads up to anyone who thought that it could be possible to make a short cut.

Now im in the proccess of changing interview dates.. uugghhh it sucks!!

Sorry to hear this.. the short cut WORKS.. B.U.T you need to allow time .... you did not do it properly.. The medical examiners in Jamaica will not take the vaccinations if done 1-2 months prior. The applicant.. should have taken the necessary vaccinations upwards 2 months prior to the actual medical Exam.. for it to to be accepted. Him doing it a few weeks prior was not smart and has cost you time.

Everything for kingston is through email unfortunately so you just gotta wait for them to reply...hopefully they reply fast.

We went to a local clinic about 3 months before the actual medical and had no problem...he still needed his last dose of Hep B when it came to his medical and they just marked it on the sheet that the last dose is needed still.

One Success Story..

[Done--Really 331]

Like so many things, every embassy has their own way of doing things, so particularly when it comes to the medical and vaccines, it's really important to ask the embassy (or the doc) before you start down a path that makes perfect sense, but which might unacceptable.

In our case--remember this is only for Costa Rica and shouldn't be generalized--we had the medical done long before we had an interview scheduled--over four months in fact--and both the embassy and the doc said no sweat, including four vaccinations.

But it ain't always that easy !!

[NicciNono 1]

Thanks for the heads-up. While my wife has all her shots, she doesn't have vaccination records and we were thinking of getting some of the required ones before attending the interview since we could probably get them free if we try beforehand. Looks like we'll go ahead and pay what we have to pay.

zinker, its $4600 for everything and vaccines

[Done--Really 331]

Ncci and zinker--no getting around it at CDJ. They are well known for making you have new vaccinations even if you got them at a private clinic in the recent past--there is only ONE way to do things at CDJ--their way. They are very easy to deal with, but don't try to color outside the lines.

[dukeandduchess 141]

Your fiance got a chicken pox vaccine which is a 2-shot series. You get 1 shot, and 4 weeks later you get the second shot. You cannot be given 2 live-virus vaccines in less than 30 days unless you receive 2 *different* live virus vaccines on the same day.

I had to go through a lot of drama getting my vaccines done and learned a lot about how many shots per series (2 for MMR, Varicella) and how much time you need between the 2 shots. It's annoying but that's how you get immunity...

Edited October 25, 2011 by dukeandduchess