As it is known, an immigration medical exam is needed for adjustment of status – like permanent residency or citizenship in the United States. The main purpose of the medical exam for green card is to rule out any danger to public health and safety when the applicant resides as a citizen or resident in the country.
Medical conditions are classified into “Class A” or “Class B”. Any medical condition that the applicant has, which falls into “Class A” makes him or her inadmissible to the United States.
The following 4 conditions as stated by CDC are those that would make the applicant inadmissible in the United States:
“ individuals who are found to have a communicable disease of public health significance, including, chancroid; gonorrhea; granuloma inguinale; acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS); Hansen’s disease (infectious leprosy); lymphogranuloma venereum; infectious state syphilis; and infectious tuberculosis (Class A TB)”.”
“Immigrant visa and adjustment of applicants who have not received all of the necessary vaccinations.”
“Individuals who have current physical or mental disorders, with harmful behavior associated with that disorder, or past physical or mental disorders, with associated harmful behavior that is likely to recur or lead to other harmful behavior.”
“Individuals who are found to be drug abusers or drug addicts”.
Other medical conditions may fall into Class B Category – these could be granted waivers, depending upon the conditions. Diseases, physical or mental abnormalities etc. or even serious, permanent disabilities could fall into Class B and could be granted waiver.
The applicant should not be unduly worried about the exam but should relax.
The influx continues.
Over the months, thousands of unrecorded women, children and entire families have been coming in droves to the United States from countries of Central America. To escape the violence in these areas – especially in places like El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala migration has been happening on a large scale.
To accommodate those detained during their efforts to enter the country ICE, or the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the government agency that deals with immigration detainees have been detaining families, including women and children in detention centers in some places, like Texas and Pennsylvania. Many advocates of immigrant rights declared this to be extremely outrageous and protested against such detention, saying it was illegal. Activists and lawyers said this was going against the ruling of a court in the year 1997 which states that the practice was against the law. It was argued that immigrant detention centers did not meet the standards and moreover, it was ruled that they should be held in the least restricting environment that was possible.
A Los-Angeles District Court Judge issued a temporary ruling in April, stating that the policy of detaining the women and children should be stopped. The 24th of May was given to both sides to arrive at an agreement. If this was unable to be done then the judge indicated that the families would be ordered to be released. “The Obama government would have to decide to release either just the children, or all the families that were seeking asylum, or it could change the way it housed the families”, the judge stated.
When an applicant is on an immigration journey finding the right immigration attorney is one of the few steps that can make or break the situation! The path to citizenship or permanent residency is not impossible but it is paved with documentation and legalese, so one has to be sure to tread carefully.
Though it is not necessary to hire an immigration attorney it is advisable. The body that takes care of immigration in the US – the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS has many forms and a plethora of information on its website and sometimes most immigrants are found to take care of the entire immigration process themselves.
Thousands of immigrants are seen to be making it every year. But still, laws can get complicated and what’s more, they can keep changing all the time. So a qualified, experienced and helpful immigration attorney can help an applicant sail through the process.
How do you find a good lawyer?
One of the surefire ways is through “Word of Mouth”. A friend’s testimonial or a relative’s endorsement always helps. If you search within the immigrant community you are sure to find the appropriate person you are looking for. Friends and relatives are always willing to give you their recommendations.
Another way to find a lawyer is through AILA- the American Immigration Lawyers Association, a group of lawyers in the country who are reliable and reputed. These lawyers practice immigration law and are well-versed in all the legal intricacies.
www.easyIME.com also has a free listing of immigration lawyers for applicants who are on the immigration journey.
Be sure to check out the credentials of the lawyer before you take him on board!
Over recent times it was reported that at least 3 to 4 immigrant families in the Latino-infested neighborhood of Washington received early morning home visits from ICE, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. A grandmother in one family was reported to have stated that she and other family members were asked to give photographs, eye scans and fingerprint scans and they were not even asked for permission, she said. Another person reported that her family too received a sudden early morning visit from ICE agents.
Many immigrant families have complained of sudden, unexpected home visits from immigration authorities. Can these encounters be termed as “raids”? One wonders, as the entry into the apartments of these families is largely interventional and no permission is sought from any of the members, before a raid is made.
In March it was announced by Department of Homeland Security that it had arrested more than 2000 convicted immigrants in a week-long raid. Many residents also claimed that agents called themselves “police” and just entered their houses, carrying a folder of pictures belonging to “criminal” immigrants. Once the fingerprinting and eye scanning process was done a red folder was pulled out and everyone was asked whether the persons in the pictures could be recognized.
Such acts that are usually attributed to the police is slowly but steadily eroding the trust that the immigrants, till now placed in the hands of the immigration authorities.
