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USCIS Advising that Medical Forms are Submitted with Employment Based Applications for Efficient Processing

A doctor filling out a medical form

USCIS has sent out advisory recommending applicants applying for employment based green cards to submit their medical reports with the initial adjustment of status application for more efficient processing. To learn more about employment based green cards, please click here.

When applying for a green card, you must demonstrate that you are not inadmissible based on health-related grounds. To prove that you have to submit a completed medical examination form to USCIS. First, you will have to schedule an appointment with an authorized civil surgeon. You should bring your immunization record to the doctor’s appointment and the doctor will assess if you are missing any required vaccinations. For more information about medical reports, please click here.

USCIS rules state that the medical report does not have to be submitted with the initial Form I-485 application. A common practice is to submit the application without it, and after USCIS has processed the application, they will send an RFE to request the medical exam or they will ask the applicant to bring it with them to the interview. The reason behind this practice is due to the limited validity time of the report. Previously, the medical report used to only have a one-year validity period. If the application takes longer than 1 year to process, the report will expire and the applicant will have to complete a new report and pay again. Due to this, the majority of applicants preferred to wait until they receive notice before submitting it. Since a few years ago, USCIS has changed the validity period to two years and has lessened the issue.

USCIS is now recommending that new applicants submit their medical reports with their initial adjustment applications to make the processing more efficient. If the medical report is submitted with the application, USCIS will no longer have to issue notices to remind applicants of the deficiency or send RFE notices.

For applicants who already have a pending Form I-485 application, USCIS is requesting that the applicant wait for the RFE notice before submitting their medical reports. USCIS does not want unsolicited medical reports.

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