leszke.1

Hello all

For the benefit of all those who still have to get to the point I am at - I thought I'd give you a run-down of what the medical entails (perfect bedtime reading, huh???).

I'm applying as the spouse of a US Citizen for Adjustment of Status here in the US - we just got married last month and we are only now at the point of sorting out the FIRST step - the MEDICAL. The form that pertains to this is the I-693 - and the Doctors know exactly what to do with it so don't worry your pretty little head in reading it - you don't have to.

There has been mention to a "Supplemental Form" to I-693 - as far as I can figure this is just a form that the Doctors have to note all of your current, expired and needed vaccinations on. Nothing more.

Call the INS's automated number for touch-tone info on Doctors approved to perform the medical by the INS. All you have to do is enter your Zip Code - and the computer tells you where you nearest few are. Easy.

My medical - after shopping around twice - cost $125. I am in the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma area.

The medical is very short, and to the point. The basics and ONLY the basics are covered. There really is no need to worry about anything regarding the physical.

You will be tested for various things. Firstly a skin test injection for Tuberculosis - come back in 2 or so days to get the results (if your arm hasn't fallen off or gone red and stripey - if that happens they recommend you go to ER (!))
Mine was clear.

Secondly they will take a blood sample. This is for testing for just two things - "RPR" as it is called (Syphillis to you and me) and HIV.
As long as those tests come back OK, and you passed your general physical from the Doctor, you will be fine.

Being the world's worst squeamish person I nearly passed out three times whilst they took my blood and gave me the skin test.
I don't smoke or drink.

Vaccinations can be more complicated - the Doctor will inform you of what you need to go and get. By far the cheapest way of getting up to date with any expired vaccinations (i.e. MMR, Tetanus, Polio etc.) is to go to the local County Health Clinic. The one in Oklahoma City gives those ones out for free!

The BIG vaccination that you do need to have by the time of your AOS interview is your Hepatitis B vaccine. This comes in 3 different jabs and you get them over a period of 3 months I think. I can be VERY costly - watch out and shop around!!! I got quoted $300 for this one - until I shopped around and got it for $99 at the County Health place. That's a big drop in anyone's book, especially if you're not rich - which I am not.

Your Doctors may require you to rush off and get some vaccines in a day or two after the medical BEFORE he signs to the I-693 - so be prepared to rush around and quickly lose your phobia to needles!!!!!
The Hepatitis B vaccine is not needed as far as I can tell before the Doctor signs the I-693.

So that's about everythig I can remember to mention. If I remember anything else I will post it - and similarly if anyone has any questions don't hesitate to post them and we'll see where this discussion goes.

Regards,

Karen R.

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I am not a Lawyer and I am not your Lawyer. I am not responsible for this information if it is taken down and used by another party. The views expressed are solely my own from my own experiences.

gonecountry

I didn't think you needed hep b unless you were under 19.... my kids are having it tomorrow (still in UK).. but i didn't book myself in as the info i had said i didn't need it at 38! I hope i got that right.. I'm really frustrated about the vaccinations as i have had everything i need but i can't find the evidence anywhere so it looks like i'll have to have a diptheria, and MMR even though i had measles and mumps as a child and had a rubella vaccine when i went on the pill at 18!
Also I know we don't need chicken pox here because its not available but i guess my kids will need it to get into school right?- even though they both had chicken pox when they were younger but theres no record of it.
Ginny

thing2

i've just come back from my doctors having had the only jabs my record shows me as not having (mmr and diptheria).

i'm curious about the Hepatitis B too - does someone know if it is definitely needed for the aos - i can't find reference to this anywhere. As gonecountry says, the London consulate states Hepatitis B for up to 19 years old only.

also, can someone confirm all i therefore need is (in the age group 18-64), ie that i've read the chart right :

polio
mmr
diptheria
tetanus

had all of these

and don't need :

influenza
influenza type b (HIB)
DTP (Diptheria Tetanus Pertussis) i think
varicella (not available in the uk)
pneumococcus

details of requirements for anyone who hasn't seen it yet :

http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_web...iv/vaccine.htm
http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_web...ccinechart.htm
http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_web...v/vaccfees.htm - i don't want to be paying for any medical things until i have to once i'm in the us - advice for uk people - get it done now for free at your gp

thanks

ps - gonecountry - if your gp has your medical records dating back to childhood, they will have a record of your vaccinations - i had 2 vaccinations back in 96 (tetanus and polio) shown on my medical record and the nurse wrote them down on my vaccines record card

dbark

Thing2,

Sorry I can't confirm or deny the requirements. But did you have to pay for the mmr and diphtheria? Did you tell them why you needed it? I am a bit nervous about telling the doctors "Oh, please can I have these jabs, by the way it is to move to the USA" .. call me a chicken ....and btw! How can you mention the words "childhood" and "96" (as in 1996..) in the same sentence? You must be very young!

Cheers,

Debbie

gonecountry

i told my Gp exactly why we wanted them and he still is giving the whole family everything we need for free... doesn't seem to be a problem at all and there are 4 of us needing extra shots
ginny

Pete F

Karen.. are you in the US as a K3 or a K1..
It was my understanding that as a K1, the london medical was valid for 1 year, the results were in the brown envelope given to the officer at the POE.. The only thing the BCIS requires for the K1 AOS is the I693A which is the vaccination supplement.


Perhaps someone can confirm this before we shell out $125 unecessarily.

Pete

thing2

Debbie, I know what you mean, but I was straight with the doctor and they had no problem. The jabs were free - the same as if you were going on holiday. I took a copy of the webpage from the url below and showed it to the nurse, we went through it and i was pleased to find I didn't need that much extra at all. It shouldn't be a problem for anyone - we pay our taxes for the NHS and until you stop paying UK taxes, you're entitled to the treatment. roflmao i was just saying how the doctors should have medical records dating back to childhood. 1996 was just when i last had vaccinations for travelling. I'm actually 33.

gonecountry

Uk only have vaccination records for people up to 25 years (which was when they started keeping computer records i suppose)... i managed to get copies for my kids although the ones at the surgery weren't complete for my son for some reason and i had to go to the health authority for the correct ones... mine only go back to 98.. and as i had many of the necessary jabs at school they never got put on my medical record... Receptionist seems very unwilling to let me look at my full records to see if my measles and mumps is recorded and i don't like to make an appointment to see the GP when i'm not sick... think i'll just have the jabs to make things simple. My baby daughter is just 3 months and she is a dual citizen so doesn't strictly need the jabs but will have to catch up on them when she gets there so she's having her hep b so she doesn't get too far behind.
Ginny
Does anyone know if the jabs for school ask for more than the basic immigration jabs?

leszke.1

Neither - I am married to a US Citizen and we are applying for AOS through the family-based category. I did not do the Visa application process from the UK side - I have been with my Husband in the US all the time (thank God) and have been doing it from over here to start with.

Well - unfortunately there's a LOT of people's enquiries here that I won't be able to answer. You see - all you guys seem to have had the medical/Visa interviews in the UK at the London Embassy, right?? Well - I have just had my medical two days ago, over here in the USA. And it seems that the processes are VERY different depending on where you get everything done.

There are a few things I CAN tell you that will be useful from my own perspective:-

VACCINATION HISTORY - you are supposed to bring any records from your own GP tot he medical - and if you haev had a vaccination and it is still in force - you should not need to get it again. Common sense really!

CHICKENPOX - Get this - US Doctors told me that if I had had Chickenpox - I should just bring a letter from one of my parents, confirming I have had it and the date of infection - signed by them. That's satisfies them over HERE, apprently. People believe you over here!

HEPATITIS B - I am 90% certain that every intending immigrant to the US WILL need this vaccination. It is not, apparently, required for the first stage of application for the Visa etc., but by the time you get to the length of having your Adjustment of Status to Conditional Permanenet Residence Status - you BETTER have it! And don't leave it to the last minute - Hep. B. is a course of 3 vaccinations, and you can only have one per month. You do the math and work out when you need to start getting stuck before your AOS!

COST OF VACCINATIONS - There's a place in Oklahoma City over here - get this - which does vaccinations for FREE. No cost. You can't get any better than that. It's a County Health Center. Although they WILL charge for Hep B. because it is such a big one ($99).

The London medical probably is valid for 1 year Pete - I don't know, sorry.

Luckily I'm only 22 and so my Doctor's surgery in the UK was able to fax me all copies of all vaccinations I have had to present to the USA Doctor.

Hope some of this helps.........

Karen

Op

"leszke.1" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    >..
    > HEPATITIS B - I am 90% certain that every intending immigrant to the US
    > WILL need this vaccination. It is not, apparently, required for the
    > first stage of application for the Visa etc., but by the time you get to
    > the length of having your Adjustment of Status to Conditional Permanenet
    > Residence Status - you BETTER have it! And don't leave it to the last
    > minute - Hep. B. is a course of 3 vaccinations, and you can only have
    > one per month. You do the math and work out when you need to start
    > getting stuck before your AOS!


Uh-uh, I'm a conditional resident and I have NOT HAD the Hep B series. But
my kids (under 19s) DID require it. And they needed it (or at least to be
started on the series) to be enrolled in school in the US. And the series
we were told was: Shot 1, wait 1 month, Shot 2, wait 6 months, Shot 3.
(Actually my kids had shot 3 after 5 months, which was ok. And the schools
do check up and make sure you get the series completed).

Steggy

Pete F wrote:
    >
    > Originally posted by leszke.1
    > >
    > > I'm applying as the spouse of a US Citizen for Adjustment of Status
    > > here in the US - we just got married last month and we are only now at
    > > the point of sorting out the FIRST step - the MEDICAL. The form that
    > > pertains to this is the I-693 - and the Doctors know exactly what to
    > > do with it so don't worry your pretty little head in reading it - you
    > > don't have to.
    > >
    > > There has been mention to a "Supplemental Form" to I-693 - as far as I
    > > can figure this is just a form that the Doctors have to note all of
    > > your current, expired and needed vaccinations on. Nothing more.
    > >
    > >
    >
    > Karen.. are you in the US as a K3 or a K1..
    > It was my understanding that as a K1, the london medical was valid for 1
    > year, the results were in the brown envelope given to the officer at the
    > POE.. The only thing the BCIS requires for the K1 AOS is the I693A which
    > is the vaccination supplement.
    >
    > Perhaps someone can confirm this before we shell out $125 unecessarily.
    >
    > Pete
    >
    > --

As far as I understand the Medical is valid as long as you
filed for AOS within a year after you had the Medical for
both K-1 and K-3. Look at
http://www.immigration.gov/graphics/i-693faq.htm
--
steg

dbark

I have just seen you and thing1's photo on the Webshots website, and you both look very young .. maybe I am just feeling my age today, it must be all the waiting for TSC!

Debbie

gonecountry

I took my kids for their hep b jabs today- three kids..only 1 managed to get the shot since they had ordered adult doses and so couldn't give them to the 2 little ones... booked in for another try next week. Nurse said that although i didn't need it I'd be mad not to have it when its there for free... you never know when you might come in contact better to have the extra protection- guess she has a point....
I'm now booked in for my diptheria and the MMR (which had to be specially ordered as they don't usually do that in adult doses) can't get an appointment for 2 weeks but i don't suppose we'll be lucky enough to get an interview date before that.SO are they happy at interview if you've only had part 1 of the 3 part jabs? Obviously the kids won't be fully protected until they've had all 3 shots.
Ginny

thing2

lol thank you