U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced on April 4, 2024, that any Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, that was properly completed and signed by a civil surgeon on or after November 1, 2023, does not expire and can be used indefinitely as evidence to show that the applicant is not inadmissible on health-related grounds.
A Form I-693 filed on or after November 1, 2023, will not expire and can be used indefinitely.
A Form I-693 filed prior to November 1, 2023, continues to retain evidentiary value but expires two (2) years from the date of the civil surgeon’s signature.
What Has Changed
USCIS Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination will no longer expire after two years and will remain valid indefinitely.
Volume 8 of the USCIS Policy Manual has been amended effective immediately and applies to all Forms I-693 signed by the civil surgeon on or after November 1, 2023. The guidance contained in the Policy Manual is controlling and supersedes any related prior guidance. The Policy Manual has been updated to
1. Clarify that a properly completed Form I-693 signed by a civil surgeon on or after November 1, 2023, retains its evidentiary value and does not expire.
2. Clarify that a properly completed Form I-693 signed by a civil surgeon before November 1, 2023, continues to retain its evidentiary value for 2 years from the date of the civil surgeon’s signature.
3. Reiterate that USCIS officers have the discretion to request further evidence or a new or updated Form I-693, even if the original Form I-693 submitted is otherwise valid, if they have reason to believe the Form I-693 submitted does not accurately reflect the applicant’s medical condition.
Reason for the Change
In general, noncitizens applying for immigration benefits who are required to demonstrate that they are admissible, such as adjustment of status applicants, must submit a Form I-693 to show they are free from any conditions that would render them inadmissible under the health-related grounds. Since December 9, 2021, USCIS has considered a properly completed Form I-693 to retain its evidentiary value (in other words, how long a Form I-693 can be used as evidence to show that the applicant is not inadmissible under the health-related grounds) for 2 years after the date the civil surgeon signed the form, regardless of when the underlying application was submitted.
Effective November 1, 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated their Tuberculosis Technical Instructions for Civil Surgeons to require civil surgeons share certain medical data from Form I-693 directly with CDC electronically. Additionally, CDC and USCIS have collaborated to improve the reporting of public health information collected on Form I-693 by civil surgeons to local U.S. health departments. Based on these developments and in consultation with CDC, USCIS has determined that a properly completed Form I-693 that is signed by a civil surgeon on or after November 1, 2023, does not expire and can be used as evidence to show that the applicant is not inadmissible under the health-related grounds indefinitely.
Affected Section: Volume 8 > Part B > Chapter 4 > Section C, Documentation Completed by Civil Surgeon renames Subsection 4 to “Evidence, Validity, USCIS Discretion, and Burden of Proof,” and revises content throughout the subsection.
See the USCIS Policy Alert dated April 4, 2024, for more information about this policy change.
Sources: Volume 8: Admissibility, Part B, Health-Related Grounds of Inadmissibility, Chapter 4, Review of Medical Examination Documentation [8 USCIS-PM B.4] , INA 232 (immigration medical examination) and INA 212(a)(1) (health-related grounds of inadmissibility), 8 CFR 232, USCIS Policy Manual Volume 8, Part B, Chapter 4 is available at https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-8-part-b-chapter-4
