Thanks for sharing! Ha, I am sure that is most offensive to an 18 year old to be fair

Oh wow, that sounds thorough to say the least! I am expecting to need some boosters too
Thanks for the well wishes.

wow, we all had to do blood & urine tests (including my 17 and 18 yr olds). I just assumed everyone does...

London? They said only 18-24 year olds to us, maybe it’s changed (this was 2 weeks ago). I was quite grateful as I’m pathetic with needles so the Hep B & Tetanus were bad enough!

I’m guessing they’ll also do it for anybody with a yes box ticked for anything to do with alcohol & drugs too.

ours were done in Miami

Maybe different consulates have different rules/requirements.

Although they both follow CDC guidelines, the exams given stateside by CIS approved panel physicians are different than the ones given by overseas consular posts, albeit the differences are more in the details. Also, individual doctors can vary in opinions on diagnosis.

Many years back the docs in Ciudad Juarez were an extreme outlier on using DUI’s to support drug abuser findings. They were confronted by this with WTF and the response was we are following your guidelines. Upshot was that other panel physicians were advised to examine for past dui.

I had my medical today, and although they asked about the alcohol related incident, they didn't do any alcohol or drug testing. They made notes of what I told them happened and added that to the form that they will send off to the embassy but that was it. They said only certain age groups are required to have the urine test.

My visa interview has had to be pushed back to August though as I am unable to have an X-ray until the end of July which is a real nuisance. 7 more weeks of worry and then hopefully I will be able to put the experience behind me!

Good to hear. I can't say I'm surprised, but based upon my experience, the rubric of YMMV can apply. I learned in the course of my practice, that alcohol related offenses can bite one on the bum when least expected.

The CDC guidelines do NOT require a urine test. Up to the doc I presume.

Blood draw is required for syphilis. Quite often they also may test for TB.

The TB rules REQUIRE a chest X-Ray. As far as I know, there is only one excuse to delay the X-ray (assuming the equipment is functioning). I've noted that the CDC guidelines are pretty detailed on the necessary shielding to limit the X-rays to the the chest. My understanding is also that the prevalence of the BCG vaccine complicates TB evaluations (the vaccine is not used in North America).

(As a totally irrelevant aside, the initials BCG have a totally different meaning in the US military. I hated mine).

I am early stage pregnancy and the x-ray for TB can not be completed until later for that reason. Mentioning incase anyone else is in a similar situation and stumbles upon this thread, unfortunately VisaMedicals (the embassy approved doctors) don't tell you this before you book your medical, or your interview date. They only tell you when you arrive (despite having the information re pregnancy prior to booking). A mild inconvenience for me as I don't live far from London, but plenty of people attend from very far away and it could pose a much bigger inconvenience to them.

It should be noted that informed consent applies on whether or not to delay the X-ray in the case of pregnancy. The CDC believes that the risk from a chest X-ray to an unborn child is quite minimal. Of course, minimal is more than zero. The prospective immigrant is given the option to delay the X-ray exam of the lungs if she choses to do so.

This isn't actually correct. The UK does not allow x-rays of a pregnant person pre 12-weeks, as the medical is carried out in the UK, what the CDC believes is a risk isn't very relevant. I would have had the x-ray is it was an option, it is not an option.

I find this interesting. My curiosity was piqued so I checked the UK equivalent of the US CDC guidelines. They read pretty much alike. A chest X-ray is low dosage. With proper precautions (that lead apron), the risks are quite negligible. My reading is that X-ray is permissible, but it is within the discretion of the doctor to hold off. Other than what happened in your case, the online information shows that the X-ray examination is permissible but the expectant mother can delay until after she comes to term.

From your experience, it appears that Knightsbridge Doctors has standard of care policy in place. And Knightsbridge Doctors are the only physicians for the embassy medicals.

Updating here for any future green card applicants that are in a similar situation to me:

I had my appointment for the visa and had spent months sick with nerves about it given what I had read and heard. I took my police certificate with my subject access report, and my application was assessed within 30 mins. The officer thanked me for providing the subject access report which they said told them all they needed to know and had no further questions. My passport with visa is out for delivery now and we will be moving in 4 weeks.

For anyone that has read the worst case scenarios and can’t get them out of your mind, please know that some of these cases do end up being relatively straightforward! I am well aware that every case is different, but I truly thought I was doomed and am now sad that I spent my last months in the UK wracked with anxiety over something that needn’t have been so intimidating.

Good luck to future green card applicants!

Congratulations on your success