Vaccinations in China

[ArthurD 0]

I don't understand the vaccination requirements for the K-1 interview at Guangzhou. The paper from the embassy says she must have about 15 different ones. She's probably had some of these as a child but there is no record. According to one doctor you can't get a titer test in Jiangsu province and they can't give multiple vaccinations on one day in fact you have to wait 15 days between any vaccinations. I remember the rather traumatic experience of having multiple shots on one day as a child so I know there is no reason you can't. My question would be if she can't get all these shots done in time how is she suppose to get this visa? Do they just give her the ones she can get at the medical exam and call it good or what?

[pushbrk 13,562]

I don't understand the vaccination requirements for the K-1 interview at Guangzhou. The paper from the embassy says she must have about 15 different ones. She's probably had some of these as a child but there is no record. According to one doctor you can't get a titer test in Jiangsu province and they can't give multiple vaccinations on one day in fact you have to wait 15 days between any vaccinations. I remember the rather traumatic experience of having multiple shots on one day as a child so I know there is no reason you can't. My question would be if she can't get all these shots done in time how is she suppose to get this visa? Do they just give her the ones she can get at the medical exam and call it good or what?

It would be good to obtain as many vaccination records as possible but for the K1 visa, there are no vaccinations required prior to entering the USA. Adjusting status will require a Civil Surgeon in the USA sign of on her vaccinations though. Some people simply get them in China before hand because it costs less.

[Guitarlo 2]

I don't understand the vaccination requirements for the K-1 interview at Guangzhou. The paper from the embassy says she must have about 15 different ones. She's probably had some of these as a child but there is no record. According to one doctor you can't get a titer test in Jiangsu province and they can't give multiple vaccinations on one day in fact you have to wait 15 days between any vaccinations. I remember the rather traumatic experience of having multiple shots on one day as a child so I know there is no reason you can't. My question would be if she can't get all these shots done in time how is she suppose to get this visa? Do they just give her the ones she can get at the medical exam and call it good or what?

In the Philippines the vaccinations are administered by the local Embassy approved medical facility. In Manila that would be St. Lukes Hospital. Even though her son had some of the vaccinations and had record of it St. Lukes did not include them on their medical history. Many of those vaccines area adminstered in stages so you technically cant get them all at once. You will see on the immunization supplement that next to the vaccine it will say series (1) of (2) or (3). That means MMR for example gets a second shot in the next 6 months. Those next series of shots will happen in the States when the Civil Surgeon will check it. The Civil Surgeon by the way cost me $90.00 per person just to sign off on the immunization supplement. Also, be aware that your local county government can issue these vaccines to Green Card applicants for free. I got free vaccines for my spouse and her son, which would have cost me over $500.00! The vaccines aren't cheap! I would believe therefore that your K1 would get whatever vaccines are minimally required for her VISA and the rest done here.

[pushbrk 13,562]

I don't understand the vaccination requirements for the K-1 interview at Guangzhou. The paper from the embassy says she must have about 15 different ones. She's probably had some of these as a child but there is no record. According to one doctor you can't get a titer test in Jiangsu province and they can't give multiple vaccinations on one day in fact you have to wait 15 days between any vaccinations. I remember the rather traumatic experience of having multiple shots on one day as a child so I know there is no reason you can't. My question would be if she can't get all these shots done in time how is she suppose to get this visa? Do they just give her the ones she can get at the medical exam and call it good or what?

In the Philippines the vaccinations are administered by the local Embassy approved medical facility. In Manila that would be St. Lukes Hospital. Even though her son had some of the vaccinations and had record of it St. Lukes did not include them on their medical history. Many of those vaccines area adminstered in stages so you technically cant get them all at once. You will see on the immunization supplement that next to the vaccine it will say series (1) of (2) or (3). That means MMR for example gets a second shot in the next 6 months. Those next series of shots will happen in the States when the Civil Surgeon will check it. The Civil Surgeon by the way cost me $90.00 per person just to sign off on the immunization supplement. Also, be aware that your local county government can issue these vaccines to Green Card applicants for free. I got free vaccines for my spouse and her son, which would have cost me over $500.00! The vaccines aren't cheap! I would believe therefore that your K1 would get whatever vaccines are minimally required for her VISA and the rest done here.

What a local county government can or will do with regard to vaccinations varies by County.

[Eric & Jin 10]

I don't understand the vaccination requirements for the K-1 interview at Guangzhou. The paper from the embassy says she must have about 15 different ones. She's probably had some of these as a child but there is no record. According to one doctor you can't get a titer test in Jiangsu province and they can't give multiple vaccinations on one day in fact you have to wait 15 days between any vaccinations. I remember the rather traumatic experience of having multiple shots on one day as a child so I know there is no reason you can't. My question would be if she can't get all these shots done in time how is she suppose to get this visa? Do they just give her the ones she can get at the medical exam and call it good or what?

As pushbrk has already indicated to you there are no vaccination requirements for the K-1 interview itself - your fiancée would only need to have the vaccinations administered before you file for her Adjustment Of Status. So there is no need to get the vaccinations prior to the interview or even before entering the US. With that being said, you are right the document that GUZ sends out listing the 15 different vaccinations is very confusing. The fact of the matter is that almost all of the 15 vaccinations listed on that document are age specific meaning that most people only need to get 3-4 of them. Most people fall into the age group (27-64) in which only 3 of the vaccinations are required, with those being:

1. MMR

2. Td/Tdap

3. Varicella (chicken pox)

If your fiancée is 26 years old or younger then she would also be required to have the HPV vaccination in addition to the 3 listed above.

Check out page 12 of the Vaccination Requirements for Immigrants Document below that is issued by the CDC - page 12 has a chart which breaks down each of the vaccinations and which ones are required based upon age. I actually took this document with me when I took my wife to the Civil Surgeon here in the US to have her vaccinations administered and I-693 completed as he was a bit confused as to which ones were actually required as well.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/pdf/ti_vacc.pdf

[Darnell 8,479]

Some of those vaccinations are age-specific, also - so - have a re-read on the 'requirements list' - try to focus on 'age range'.

Good Luck !

[ArthurD 0]

This has put my mind at ease. Thanks.

[celiothrkn 0]

Does anyone have experience with getting vaccinations in China - as they are mandatory for CR1 immigrant visa petitions? Since my wife is < 25 years old, we'll need to get 4 mandatory shots. (Surprisingly she tells me she doesn't have any vaccination record because China didn't have that "back in the day.")

On CDC's PDF, I noticed that for HPV and Varicella both had waiting times (usually 1 month or more) between doses (as opposed to getting a one-time dose). Would it be possible to get the first dose in China and then get subsequent doses in the US? Would that fly with the people conducting the medical exam or with the interviewing officer at the Consulate? If not, does that mean we'd have push back our interview date until she receives all doses (which would be slightly ridiculous)? Also I would ideally be able to check if my local township or county in the US gives free vaccinations so we could save money on the subsequent doses.

Thanks.

Edited November 28, 2009 by celiothrkn

[celiothrkn 0]

Also, has HPV been removed from the vaccination requirement?

Check here.

[Eric & Jin 10]

Does anyone have experience with getting vaccinations in China - as they are mandatory for CR1 immigrant visa petitions? Since my wife is < 25 years old, we'll need to get 4 mandatory shots. (Surprisingly she tells me she doesn't have any vaccination record because China didn't have that "back in the day.")

On CDC's PDF, I noticed that for HPV and Varicella both had waiting times (usually 1 month or more) between doses (as opposed to getting a one-time dose). Would it be possible to get the first dose in China and then get subsequent doses in the US? Would that fly with the people conducting the medical exam or with the interviewing officer at the Consulate? If not, does that mean we'd have push back our interview date until she receives all doses (which would be slightly ridiculous)? Also I would ideally be able to check if my local township or county in the US gives free vaccinations so we could save money on the subsequent doses.

Thanks.

My wife came to the US on a K-1 so I can't speak definitively about the vaccination series requirements for the CR-1 however we were able to file for Adjustment of Status after only receiving the first of the Varicella doses. The rule for AOS is that the applicant must have just started the series of doses so I think that it is probably the same rule as far as the CR-1 goes as well.

And to answer your other question - yes the CDC has dropped the HPV & Zoster vaccination requirements for immigrants starting Dec 14 which is really good news.

[garfield529 47]

Does anyone have experience with getting vaccinations in China - as they are mandatory for CR1 immigrant visa petitions? Since my wife is < 25 years old, we'll need to get 4 mandatory shots. (Surprisingly she tells me she doesn't have any vaccination record because China didn't have that "back in the day.")

Thanks.

REALLY? Where is your fiancee from? Mine is 30, lives in Chongqing and I saw her vaccination card during my last visit. The card is from "back in the day." Maybe they didn't have the system in place in her town/city...

[celiothrkn 0]

Does anyone have experience with getting vaccinations in China - as they are mandatory for CR1 immigrant visa petitions? Since my wife is < 25 years old, we'll need to get 4 mandatory shots. (Surprisingly she tells me she doesn't have any vaccination record because China didn't have that "back in the day.")

Thanks.

REALLY? Where is your fiancee from? Mine is 30, lives in Chongqing and I saw her vaccination card during my last visit. The card is from "back in the day." Maybe they didn't have the system in place in her town/city...

Oh, I guess I was wrong! Chongqing is a big city so I guess they do things differently there. I've actually heard of foreigners going to Chongqing in the early 1900s. My wife is from a rural city in Shandong province untouched by foreigners, and thus their system is very "backwards." My wife says she got vaccinations at middle school and such but never had any paperwork indicating it.