Minnesota Occupational Health’s (MOH) Civil Surgeons will take care of all your Immigration Medical Exam needs with dedication and care – including your Green Card Medical exam, Immigration Immunization and filling out and submitting I-693 paperwork (Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record). Having the ability to complete this exam at any of our four locations throughout the Twin Cities, there is a convenient location or time available for you.
MOH has four US Civil Surgeons, medical doctors who have been designated by the USCIS to perform medical examinations for the purposes of lawful immigration to the United States, and a team of Medical Assistants that are set up to complete any and all exams you need completed. From understanding all the documents and criteria needed for the I-693 paperwork and other immigration status forms, MOH has the team with the compassion and expertise to make you feel confident in the your preparation and movement through the Immigration process.
Completion of I-693 paperwork
The I-693 applicant section can be completed prior to the appointment or in the office. Instructions for completing the form can be found here.
The I-693 form can be found here.
Immigration Medical (Green Card or USCIS) Exams are required for adjustment of status for immigrants aspiring to seek a Green Card (I-485 exam) and for requests for a “V” non-immigrant status form (I-539). Exams can include vaccinations and/or blood tests that may be required to obtain lawful, permanent resident status in the United States.
Form I-693
Bring your completed Form I-693 to your exam if you are filing for citizenship, immigrant visas and some non-immigrant visas, refugees and adjustments of status to that of a permanent resident (Green Card). The Minnesota Occupational Health USCIS Civil Surgeon will complete the medical portion.
USCIS required immunizations
The civil surgeon will confirm that you have had all the required vaccinations necessary. Some vaccines are expressly required by the Immigration and Nationality Act, and others are required because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined they are in the best interest of public health. Below is a list of the vaccinations you must receive before being admitted as a permanent resident of the United States:
- Mumps, measles, rubella (MMR)
- Polio
- Tetanus and diphtheria toxoids
- Pertussis (whooping cough)
- Haemophilius influenza type B (HIB)
- Hepatitis B (HBV)
- Varicella/VH
- Influenza (Flu)
- Pneumococcal pneumonia
- Rotavirus
- Hepatitis A
- Covid-19
- Meningococcal
If you’ve already been vaccinated, bring your vaccination reports to your immigration physical. If the vaccination report is not in English, it must be translated by an official translator per USCIS requirements. If you haven’t been vaccinated, the civil surgeon will administer them.
*Listed above our vaccines that we can procure for any exam (increased coordination will be needed for the COVID vaccine). Consider this an “a la carte” menu for your discretion.
Blood and Urine Testing
All applicants aged 15 and older are required to receive tests for Syphilis and Gonorrhea. Syphilis and Gonorrhea are both Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) that can be contagious. They are a common infection throughout the world. Some applicants may not have symptoms of the disease, and therefore the test is required to ensure that anyone who is infected be treated and will not be contagious in the US.
Syphilis testing is done through a blood test called an RPR (rapid plasma reagin) and Gonorrhea is a urine test.
- For abnormal results of the Syphilis tests, the lab will run a second test with the same blood sample to verify if the results were accurate from the original abnormal result. If the second test, called a T. Pallidum-PA, is abnormal, then the applicant should be treated for Syphilis with the proper medication before finishing the exam forms and the process.
- If the results of the Gonorrhea urine test are normal, that portion of the examination is complete.
- If the results are positive (abnormal), then the applicant should be treated for Gonorrhea accordingly.
Tuberculosis testing
According to the USCIS:
“Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attack the lungs. But TB bacteria can attack any part of the body, such as the kidney, spine, and brain. If not treated properly, TB disease can be fatal. TB disease was once the leading cause of death in the United States.
TB is spread through the air from one person to another. The bacteria are put into the air when a person with active TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings. People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected.
However, not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick. People who are infected but not sick have what is called latent TB infection. People who have latent TB infection do not feel sick, do not have any symptoms, and cannot spread TB to others. However, some people with latent TB infection go on to get TB disease. People with active TB disease can be treated if they seek medical help. Most people with latent TB infection can take medicine so that they will not develop active TB disease.”
USCIS further states that “TB continues to be a problem. For example, while the number of TB cases is still declining, the speed of decline has slowed since 2003. Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR TB) remains a concern, and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR TB) has become an important issue. Finally, racial and ethnic minority populations and foreign-born individuals continue to account for a large number of TB cases in the United States. This is why the initial screening for TB and the appropriate treatment of TB for individuals coming to the United States and living here permanently is an important tool to help eradicate the disease in the United States and worldwide.”
Previously, the most widely-accepted test for tuberculosis was a tuberculin skin test (TST). USCIS no longer allows the use of a TST test for this.
Minnesota Occupational Health’s Civil Surgeons will use a blood test called QuantiFERON® TB Gold in Tube Test or the T-Spot ® TB Test now to fulfill this requirement in the absence of a TST test.
The civil surgeon will take a blood sample from you during the medical examination. The blood is used to perform the TB initial screening test.
If the result is negative, you will probably not need any further testing for TB. If the result is positive, you will be required to have a chest x-ray as a means of additional screening for TB.
The Minnesota Occupational Health Civil Surgeon will certify the results on the I-693 and Vaccination Supplement forms, including a chest X-ray report if a one took place. After all the steps in the medical examination are complete, the applicant is required to sign form I-693 in presence of the civil surgeon. A small section of the I-693 form must be completed by the applicant.
The civil surgeon will place all the I-693 related paperwork in a sealed envelope. DO NOT OPEN THE SEALED ENVELOPE. This envelope must be submitted alongside your immigration application.
To learn more or to schedule an exam at one of our Twin Cities locations, please call us at 651-968-5300 or contact us here.
Our Providers
Dr. John Kipp
Blaine
Dr. Michael Lockheart
St. Paul
Dr. Peter Swann
Shakopee