If you’re applying for a green card, USCIS requires a medical exam from a designated civil surgeon. The result, a completed and sealed Form I-693, has to accompany most adjustment of status applications. Here’s what to expect when you come in for yours.

What is Form I-693?

Form I-693 is the “Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record.” Only USCIS-designated civil surgeons (like our on-site physician) can complete it. The form documents:

  • A general physical and mental status exam
  • Screening for communicable diseases of public health significance (TB, syphilis, gonorrhea)
  • Required vaccinations per CDC immigration guidelines
  • A drug abuse / dependence screening
  • Mental health screening

What to bring

  • Government-issued photo ID, passport is ideal, NY ID or driver’s license is fine
  • Your USCIS receipt notice (Form I-797), if you’ve already filed
  • Your vaccination records, every shot record you can find, including childhood
  • Any medical records for chronic conditions (diabetes, hypertension, mental health, prior TB exposure)
  • List of all medications you currently take
  • Glasses or contacts if you wear them
  • Payment, call us for current pricing

Required vaccinations

USCIS follows the CDC’s vaccination criteria. The exact list depends on your age, but typically includes:

  • MMR (measles, mumps, rubella)
  • Tdap or Td (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis)
  • Varicella (chickenpox)
  • Polio
  • Influenza (seasonal, when flu vaccine is available)
  • Hepatitis A and B (age-dependent)
  • Pneumococcal (age-dependent)
  • COVID-19 (currently not required as of the most recent USCIS guidance, but verify)

If you can prove you received any of these previously, you don’t need to repeat them. We can administer any missing vaccines on-site the same day.

What happens at the appointment

  1. Check-in and identity verification
  2. Review of vaccine records and medical history
  3. Brief mental health and substance use screening
  4. Blood draw for syphilis (and gonorrhea for some applicants)
  5. TB test, typically an interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) blood test, which is preferred over the older skin test
  6. General physical exam
  7. Required vaccinations administered on-site, if needed
  8. Form I-693 completed, signed, and placed in a sealed envelope with your name on it

Total time: usually 60–90 minutes for adults. Lab results return in 3–5 business days.

What happens after

We hand you (and only you) the sealed envelope. Do not open it. USCIS will reject the form if the seal is broken. You submit the sealed envelope with your I-485 application or bring it to your interview, depending on USCIS instructions.

How long is Form I-693 valid?

As of the current USCIS policy, a properly completed I-693 is valid indefinitely, as long as the civil surgeon signed it no more than 60 days before your I-485 filing. (USCIS policy has changed several times, check current guidance or ask us at your appointment.)

Schedule your immigration medical exam

We complete immigration medical exams Monday through Friday at our Bronx clinic. Most appointments can be scheduled within a week. (914) 598-1268, and our staff speaks English and Spanish.