USCIS Issues New Guidance on Medical Exam Submission
Last Updated
USCIS has issued new guidance on submission of medical examinations (Form I-693), effective November 1, 2018. Under the new guidance, medical examinations submitted on or after November 1, 2018 must have been signed by the civil surgeon within 60 days of submission. Once submitted, they will be valid for two years from the date of civil surgeon signature.
There is no change to the policy that medical examinations, when required, do not have to be included with the application; they can still be submitted to USCIS (a) concurrently with the immigration application; (b) in response to an RFE; or (c) at the time of the interview. Based on this new policy, however, advocates should advise clients not to get medical exams more than 60 days in advance of anticipated application submission or to wait until after application submission to get a medical exam.
In cases where the I-693 was submitted prior to November 1, 2018, the validity period will be measured as follows:
- If the I-693 was signed by the civil surgeon more than 60 days but not more than one year before submission to USCIS, it will be valid for one year after submission.
- If the I-693 was signed by the civil surgeon within 60 days of submission to USCIS, it will be valid for two years after signature.
- If the I-693 was signed by the civil surgeon and submitted to USCIS after the applicant filed an immigration application with USCIS, it will be valid for two years after signature.
This new policy on the validity period of Form I-693 has been integrated into Volume 8 Part B Chapter 4 of the USCIS Policy Manual relating to heath-based inadmissibility. That section can be accessed here.