Immigration Medical Exam: What to Know?

The objective of the immigration medical exam is to ensure that an individual meets the country’s health standards. That is done by ascertaining whether someone entering the country has transmittable diseases while also ensuring they are up to date with their vaccinations.

The examination is also used to assess whether or not the individual has a mental disorder with harmful tendencies or an addiction. If the individual is found to have one of those or a transmittable disease without the required vaccinations, they may not be allowed to stay or enter.

To remain in the United States and go through your immigration physical exam, you must prepare the appropriate paperwork beforehand to ensure that you don’t encounter any delays.

For starters, you need to bring your passport/ other forms of legal identification, records of your vaccinations, a list of your medications, necessary certificates from treatments in the past, and lastly, your complete medical history.

The list of vaccinations that you need to have includes mumps, measles, rubella, polio, tetanus and diphtheria toxoids, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type B, hepatitis B, and COVID-19, as well as any other vaccine-preventable diseases recommended by the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices.

The exam is a very straightforward physical exam that includes all the typical checks you would expect. The physician will check your blood pressure, lungs, and heart, even checking your vital organs to ensure everything is in working order.

You can expect the physician to feel your stomach, skin, and lymph nodes to search for any sort of abnormality that warrants a deeper investigation.

And as we mentioned before, the physical exam will also branch off into a mental evaluation.

Your physician will be asking you questions and performing checks to ensure that your comprehension, mood, intelligence level, and behavior are where they should be.

Relating to that, during the exam, you’ll likely be asked many questions referring to your medical history or vaccination history, so be prepared to answer as you go along. And if you’re pregnant, you need to check to see if it’s appropriate to have your physical examination now or if you need to reschedule.

A lot goes on behind the scenes following your medical examination. Here’s a great resource for learning more. However, a certain amount depends on you.

In fact, depending on your location, the results of the examination may be sent straight to the embassy. But in other areas, you may receive the results directly and be required to present them in your interview.

Now, if you’re within the U.S., the civil surgeon will give you an envelope containing the medical examination and vaccination record and a completed I-693 form. Please remember that you are not allowed to open the sealed envelope.

All you need to do is simply submit the medical examination with form I-485— Application to Adjust Status. In the case that you’ve already filed for that, you would need to bring the envelope to the USCIS green card interview.

The examination results generally remain valid for two years.

Set a date for your Immigration Physical Exam with Reliable MD today. We serve patients in Sarasota County on Fruitville Rd, which is close to Whitfield Ave, Bee Ridge Rd, Lockwood Ridge Rd, and beyond! We also provide telehealth services, serving the entire state of Florida.