Medical exam for Greencard (AOS)
Hi, I am on the I-140 and AOS step and need to go to do medical exam ( to produce the form I-693 ). It seems that I need to bring the vaccination record of my past vaccinations. However, i didn't keep any record when I moved to Us. Does it mean that I will need to take all vaccinations again? Also, can I use my medical insurance shared deductible which Amazon provided to cover the cost? I'm using Aetna plan, can I use search for primary doctor from the network or it has to be some approved doctor by USCIS? Thx
You can do an antibody test to check for certain vaccinations.
Doctors listed by USCIS usually do I-693 for a flat rate plus more for vaccinations (which can be covered by insurance). Call them and find out how much they charge. I wouldn’t risk going to a doctor that’s not listed because chances are that they had never filled out the form before. A mistake could cost you.
The medical exam must be done by a dr on the USCIS list. From the website “The immigration medical exam must be conducted by a physician designated by USCIS (also known as a "civil surgeon")”
I don't think you are interpreting the sentence right.
Well then neither are the lawyers, but it’s not my medical exam my interpretation which matches those I know who have also gone through this (for the exam not vaccinations) doesn’t really matter.
Do the vaccinations and gonnorhoea test at your PCP and take those reports to the I-693 physician(civil surgeon). This way your insurance will cover for those and overall cost will be cheaper.
If the insurance covers STD screening, does it matter who the doctor is?
Using your insurance for any immigration related health check is insurance fraud, so some civil surgeons won't let you use your insurance, some don't care and let u use anyways, but do you want to take chances of being caught by insurance? I prefer not to take any chance and be safe by getting this done by my PCP.
Also, prices vary dramatically so call around. The difference can be hundreds of dollars. Also, check to see if you can get the company to pay for the medical. Some employers do, done don’t. I was able to get my AOS medical expenses reimbursed.
Hi, i was talking with one of the clinics. They said that i should only do the medical exam after having an interview appointment with USCIS. If i am doing it now, high chance is that the interview might take longer to arrange and the medical report will be expired by that time then. Is this correct? I am just at the begining of the I-140 and AOS step. When i should submit the exam for the attorney? At AOS submission time or after USCIS interview? Thx
This is correct. AoS are taking close to or more than a year these days in most service centers. USCIS will give you an RFE if you don't submit medical now, but schedule the interview anyway.
But submitting the medical report now will probably help the GC to be approved faster right? As RFE is going to take time? So it would mean i need to do the medical exam twice? Also, can the attorney submit I-140 first before filing the AOS or both has to happen in the same time? Thx
I had to go through medical exam thrice since it took longer for PD to become current. From what i know you do need a medical exam when filing the initial AOS application. If AOS takes longer than a year your medical will expire and you will get RFE for newer exam. Highly recommend to pick a doctor from the list of civil surgeons in USCIS site. I had a friend in whose case the doctor missed signing a medical form and that delayed his case quite a bit. There are some clinics which do these immigration medical exams a lot and are very familiar with the Uscis requirements. That helps to get the forms filled out correctly as each error will waste a lot of precious time in the already delayed GC process. My company paid for my medical exams all three times for both me and my wife(dependent).
I think you will have to vaccinate again if they can't verify that you have been vaccinated. They can test for specific conditions. Vaccination records simply allow you to skip testing for certain conditions. For myself, I only had to take one shot and that's because the test results took a week to come back from the lab. We didn't want to waste the time. (Don't remember which one.) For me, the fee doctor charges for preparing the report were not covered, but the tests and vaccination were covered. (I am using UHC.) USCIS provides a list for your convenience, but there is no such thing as "USCIS seal of approval".