People can apply for adjustment of status without a properly completed Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record (“Medical Exam Report”), and submit it later when requested by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. For employment-based applications, since it is rare for USCIS to schedule an in-person interview before deciding, omitting the Medical Exam Report at the initial filing will unavoidably cause delays because USCIS will have to put the case aside and issue a Request for Evidence asking for this report. On the other hand, since many family-based applicants seeking adjustment of status will be asked to attend an in-person interview at the local USCIS Field Office, they can bring the Medical Exam Report to their interview and omitting it at the initial filing has no drawbacks.
USCIS has recently informed the public it will expand potential interview waivers for family-based Adjustment of Status applications. As such, USCIS encourages applicants to include the form I-693 Medical Exam Report at the time of filing to potentially speed up the processing time. Please note that if the applicant didn’t include the Medical Exam Report at the time of filing, they should submit it only when asked by USCIS, otherwise USCIS may not properly add the Medical Exam Report to the correct file.
On a relevant note, USCIS requires the Medical Exam Report to be dated no earlier than 60 days before the applicant filed the underlying application. In response to COVID-19, USCIS temporarily waived the 60-day requirement, and this temporary waiver is set to expire on March 31, 2023. A properly and timely completed Medical Exam Report remains valid for two years from the date of the civil surgeon’s signature.
This article, under no circumstances, acts as legal advice; therefore, for any immigration questions, please contact your Attorney or the Ahluwalia Law Offices, P.C. (Team ALO).
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