The immigration medical exam in NYC, start to finish

Who needs an immigration medical exam

Most people applying to adjust status to permanent residence have to submit Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record. It is the medical half of your application: it confirms that you are free of certain communicable diseases of public health significance, and that your vaccination history meets the requirements set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It is not a general physical, and it is not a fitness assessment. Its scope is defined by USCIS and the CDC, and a civil surgeon works strictly inside that scope.

Why it has to be a civil surgeon

This is the single most common reason an application is delayed. Your own doctor, however well you know them, cannot sign Form I-693 unless they hold a USCIS designation as a civil surgeon. A physical performed by a physician without that designation cannot be used, and the work has to be repeated.

Dr. Huma Irshad is a USCIS-designated civil surgeon and completes and signs the form personally. You can also verify any civil surgeon’s designation independently through the USCIS “Find a Doctor” tool before you book anywhere.

What happens during the appointment

The examination itself is straightforward and takes roughly an hour. It covers:

• A physical examination: eyes, ears, nose and throat, heart, lungs, abdomen, lymph nodes, skin and extremities, plus height, weight, blood pressure and vision.
• A tuberculosis screen. The CDC requires an Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) blood test for applicants aged 2 and older. The older PPD skin test is no longer accepted as the initial screen.
• Required blood and urine laboratory work: syphilis serology and gonorrhea testing within the CDC-specified age ranges.
• A review of your vaccination history against the CDC schedule for your age, and prescriptions for anything still outstanding.
• A confidential mental health and substance screening, as USCIS requires.

Everything that needs ordering is ordered at that one visit. You are told exactly which collection site to use and which pharmacy to take prescriptions to, so you are not left to work out the sequence yourself.

What you leave with

Once your results arrive, Dr. Irshad completes and signs the current edition of Form I-693, seals it in the envelope USCIS requires, and hands it to you along with an unsealed duplicate for your own records.

Do not open the sealed envelope. USCIS will reject a Form I-693 that arrives opened or tampered with. That is exactly why you are given a separate copy, so you never have a reason to break the seal.

How long the whole thing takes

The visit is about an hour. Your testing is processed by an outside laboratory and results typically return in 3 to 5 business days. We call you when they arrive, and your sealed form is ready the same day they do. If your vaccination history is incomplete, the timeline depends on how quickly you complete the outstanding doses at your pharmacy.

Cost and insurance

Most insurance plans do not cover immigration medical examinations, because USCIS requires them for an immigration benefit rather than for medical treatment. Treat it as a self-pay service and ask for the price before you book, so there are no surprises. Call us on (917) 905-8140 for current pricing.

Getting here

Our office is at 15 E 40th St, Suite 201, in Manhattan, convenient to several subway lines. Applicants regularly travel in from all five boroughs, as well as Westchester, Long Island and northern New Jersey, because the exam takes a single appointment. Families are routinely scheduled back to back so everyone is finished in one trip; each applicant still needs their own exam and their own form.