How do I find an authorized Civil Surgeon to conduct the Medical Examination in my area?
You could call on a designated USCIS Customer Service number in the USA. You are required to give your zip code to make it easier for the service to provide you with exact details. Before you call, make sure you have a pen and paper ready to enable you to write down the names and addresses of surgeons in your nearby area. If you have web access you could also find a list of designated Civil Surgeons on the USCIS website. If you have a local USCIS office you could find a list of Civil Surgeons there too. Another efficient alternative is to log on to the easyIME website (www.easyIME.com) and search for the best-priced, most appropriate Civil Surgeon in your area. The search is free and the website gives you online, updated access to effectively-priced Civil Surgeons across the United States. Try it out today, you will be surprised how quick and easy it is!
What is to be done after I take the Medical Examination?
Once you go through the Medical Examination, the Panel Doctor (if you are abroad) or the USCIS Civil Surgeon (if you are in the United States) will fill in the details on the designated I-693 medical forms, sign it and place it in a sealed envelope. This envelope should not be in any circumstances, opened by you. The envelope has to be handed over to the Immigration authorities along with your visa application.
The passage to the Homeland Security spending bill was blocked this Tuesday – a bill that would have proposed to have detrained President Barack Obama’s order to prevent around 4 million unauthorized immigrants from getting deported.
Unless an understanding is reached to create way for a new bill by the end of the month, funding for the Homeland Security Department will cease, and the department stares a partial shutdown in the face.
It was not very clear as to what members of the Republican Party in the House and Senate proposed to do. An alternative that was being discussed was to pass another short-term funding provision in order to prevent the shutdown, thereby postponing the crisis looming large over the immigration policy. The Republicans in the House were seen to be moving towards another series of actions that would pacify hardliners in immigration, while also paving way for the House to pass the Department of Homeland Security funding bill without any additional encumbrances attached.
The House Speaker told Republicans last week that the first step towards challenging the President on the constitutionality of His immigration actions was being taken. Meanwhile the House Judiciary Committee was busy working on enforcing immigration bills, he said, even on one that requires all employers to make use of the E-Verify system. This will enable every employee to work on a legal basis in the USA. The Committee Chairman stated that the committee was to hold hearings, address legislation issues and do all it could to sort out any glitches in the country’s immigration laws.
1. Who is required to appear for the Immigration Medical Examination?
Any person who applies for adjustment of status in the United States, or applies for an immigrant visa at a US Consul office abroad must go through a medical examination which will also include a vaccination evaluation.
Note: Only if the person is applying for registration based on his or her entry before the year 1972 and has stayed on continuously in the United States since that date is not required to go through a medical examination.
2. What if the applicant is pregnant?
If the applicant is pregnant she is required to go through the medical examination but some parts of it may be postponed until after the baby is delivered. Any such concerns should be openly discussed with the USCIS Civil Surgeon or with the Panel Doctors to avoid any complications later.
3. What if the vaccinations that need to be taken are against the applicant’s religious beliefs or moral ethics?
If the applicant’s religious beliefs do not permit the administering of vaccines the applicant is still eligible for adjustment of status, provided he or she applies for a waiver of vaccinations that need to be taken.
Those who have been perpetrating scams and frauds in immigration processes in the United States of America will now face stricter penalties, especially for reasons of defrauding people who are seeking legal assistance with immigration matters. The New York State’s Immigration Assistance Service Enforcement Act, which went into effect on 2nd February, Monday is a covenant for establishing new protections and rights for all those immigrants and immigrant applications who use the services of either individuals or businesses, who falsely represent themselves as qualified advisors or legal experts for those who are just setting foot in the United States, and even those who advise people with citizenship issues fraudulently or with a purpose to cheat. The law punishes individuals or businesses who help people seeking assistance for more than $1000 fraudulently.
This law is a result of the effort by immigration reform advocates so that it can protect immigrants and ensure that they do not fall prey to illegal immigration advice. These people are called “Notarios”; these people are not permitted to give legal advice, neither can they represent any cases in the Courts of Law.
What is unique about this law in New York is that it is the only law in the country that helps to establish the State Office of New York Americans. All 50 states and several U S territories do have some protection law against fraud in immigration, but this law establishes permanently the State Office, making it a unique Act.
Notarios can no longer deceive innocent immigrant applicants in the State of New York.
