On April 04, 2024,The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policyalert announcingofficial guidance in the USCISPolicy Manual clarifying thevalidity period of Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination andVaccination Record, also known as the medical exam. Generally, all green cardapplicants are required to submit a valid medical exam to prove to the USCISthat the applicant’s green card application cannot be denied for health-relatedreasons. According to the USCIS, all medical examinations signed by a CivilSurgeon on or after November 1, 2023, will remain valid indefinitely.
The welcomedchange in policy is due to technological advances in public health which allow civilsurgeons to share some of the applicant’s medical data directly with the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local U.S. health departments. Subsequently,a medical exam signed by a civil surgeon on or after Nov. 1, 2023, will neverexpire. Prior to this change, allproperly completed medical exams were valid for only two years from the date ofthe civil surgeon’s signature.
However, the USCIS reminds applicants, that even incases where an applicant’s medical exam is facially valid, USCIS officers do havethe authority to request a new or updated medical exam if the reviewing officerhas reason to believe the applicant’s medical condition has changed or if the reviewingofficer has reason to believe the medical exam does not accurately reflect theapplicant’s medical condition. Ifyou have any questions about how this guidance may impact your application,please contact Musillo Unkenholt.