Every applicant who is applying for the Green card, irrespective of age has to go in for the Immigration Medical Exam.
We recently looked at the form I_693 form and how it has to be filled up by Civil Surgeons as a part of the applicant’s application for the Green Card process.
There are some more steps in filling up the I-693 process:
TB Steps (cont’d):
STEP 2: Determine whether a chest X-ray is required. A chest X-ray (CXR) is required if :
- The result of the applicant’s TST or IGRA test is positive;
- The applicant is immunosuppressed, regardless of TST or IGRA result;
- The applicant has signs or symptoms of TB, regardless of TST or IGRA result; or
- The applicant was exempted from the screening test (since this indicates a prior positive reaction).
If a CXR is required, the civil surgeon should request the applicant bring any prior CXRs performed. The civil surgeon should review prior CXRs for evidence suggestive of past TB disease or future development of TB disease.
The physician interpreting the current CXR should also be made aware of prior CXRs and what they indicate.
The civil surgeon is also responsible for ensuring that the X-ray technician checks the applicant’s identity. This is to ensure that the CXR belongs to the individual actually applying for the immigration benefit.
Every applicant who is applying for the Green card, irrespective of age has to go in for the Immigration Medical Exam. There are some health-related grounds on which the applicant becomes inadmissible. Let us take a look at these:
- Communicable disease of public health significance (Class A)
- Failure to show proof of required vaccinations (for lawful permanent resident applicants ONLY)
- Physical or mental disorder with associated harmful behavior (Class A)
- Drug abuse or addiction (Class A)
There is a form called the I-693 form or the Civil Surgeon worksheet which the Civil Surgeon fills up as a part of the process.
Let us take a look at a part of Section 1 of the form which relates to communicable diseases, beginning with Tuberculosis in subsection A:
- Civil surgeons should review TIs on Tuberculosis at:
- Civil surgeons should also review updates to the Tis at:
- Civil Surgeons: Steps for performing the TB component of the Immigration Medical Exam:
STEP 1: If the applicant is age-appropriate, the applicant should be screened for TB with a cell-mediated immunity test (TST or IGRA).
- Generally, all applicants 2 years of age and older must be screened regardless of pregnancy or previous immunization with BCG vaccine.
- Applicants under 2 years of age must also be screened if there is evidence of contact with a person known to have TB or any other reason to suspect TB.
- Applicants may be exempted from a screening test in some circumstances.
More than 200 immigrant children were administered an adult dose of Hepatitis A vaccine in a detention center at Texas state, according to an alarming news byte recently.
The vaccine was administered to the children but none of them were hospitalized or any adverse reactions reported.
ICE officials said that health care medics would monitor the kids over the week and watch out for any potential side effects. “Parents at the facility were advised and counseled by medical professionals about potential side effects, with services made available in multiple languages,” the official state.
According to a centre of medical health hepatitis A virus can infect the liver. It is transmitted amongst individuals and spreads through consuming contaminated food or water.
The children reportedly received double the dosage of the vaccine. They should continue to be monitored, a professional said, although the chances of their developing short term or long term complications were rare.
“I’m guessing there will not be significant effects,” an official said. “If anything, you may get a higher immune response.”
The Immigration and health care officials are investigating how the mix-up at the Family Residential Center occurred and how such mistakes can be avoided in the future.
The Supreme Court has rejected a request to hear a case that enables states to require proof of citizenship for those applying to vote in federal elections. This judgment effectively upholds a lower court ruling against the states of Kansas and Arizona in the United States.
These states wanted the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to change its registration requirements to include proof of citizenship for those applying to vote in federal elections, as the states require these for using in their state forms.
By not taking the case, the Supreme Court leaves in place a November 2014 ruling from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the states cannot require the documentation for applicants using the so-called “federal form.”
Voting rights advocates hailed the court’s decision to not take up the case. Currently, the federal agency’s form only requires applicants swear eligibility under penalty of perjury.
Several law firms that represented the group praised the Supreme Court, for securing a critical victory to strengthen the right to vote in federal elections in Arizona and Kansas and reaffirming the important role Congress plays in preserving a fair voter registration process across the country.
“This is a very big deal,” said a law professor, in reaction to the ruling.
