Some questions about the I-693 when adjusting from Work/Student/Tourist Visa

[Up and Away 10]

Hi there,

I am preparing my AOS package to adjust from F-1 status. I'm working on the I-693 and I'm kind of lost on a couple of issues. Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated:

1. I am Canadian. Does my Canadian family doctor (who I have been with for the last 20 years) have my immunization record? Is that a record that Canadian doctors keep on hand? How long does it take to obtain that from them? I figure my dad might be able to pick it up for me and then he can scan them and send them to me as PDFs. But how long would it take to get the records, if they even exist, from the office? Do any Canadian VJ members remember?

2. Instead of getting immunization records from my Canadian doctor, can I just get a blood test, which will indicate my immunizations, instead? Or are there some immunizations that the blood test cannot detect? If it is a perfect substitute for getting an immunization record, does the Civil Surgeon provide the blood test? What is the turn around time on that? Is that an additional cost or is it part of the I-693 Medical Exam package, usually?

3. How long does the whole process take, starting from approaching a Civil Surgeon, to getting a complete I-693?

4. I don't have health insurance and neither does my USC husband. If I have to get some shots (and I'll certainly have to get at least the flu shot), what is the cheapest place to go? Is it the NYC Department of Health (http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/imm/immclin.shtml)? I saw a previous VJ poster point to that website as a source of FREE vaccinations but it doesn't say on there that the vaccinations are free! Are they? And is it possible to get all the necessary shots done in one visit?

5. Let's say I was immunized against something already, but accidentally received a second immunization --are there any health consequences to that?

As you can see, I'm totally lost. ANY help on the above would be greatly, greatly, appreciated.

Thanks!!!

[hikergirl 277]

Normally immunization records are kept with the public health nurses in Community Health offices (at least in AB and BC), not with Doctors. Your mum or dad may have a copy of your records, I have my teen daughter's from birth to now.

You can get a test called a titre test to check for immunity.

Not sure about any of your other questions

[Little_My 464]

1. As a non-Canadian, I would not know this - but as someone who is also from a country of universal health care, at least in Finland immunization records are kept in the system and can be retrieved easily. It's usually harder to get the info if a person has seen several different doctors over the years, moved a lot, and mainly seen private doctors as their records don't get passed from one place to another. In any case, a fellow Canadian will know more about this issue..

2. Yes, they can test your blood for antibodies. It will cost extra, as will each needle #######/poke/test they run in general. Better to try to get the records from Canada, and then just get the vaccines/boosters you need in addition - if any.

3. Depends where you live. For me it took abut a week. It'll depend on how fast you can get the appointment, and whether your TB skin test comes back positive. If it does, it can be a false positive, but they'll send you to get a chest x-ray done to confirm. I didn't need any vaccinations, so I just booked the appointment a few days from when I called, went in to get the basic medical, and then came back in 2 days to have them check the TB test. I got all the paperwork right then and there.

4.Most cities have low cost health clinics where you can get basic vaccinations for very low cost. Doesn't your university have a health clinic (I assume you are in school since you're adjusting from F1)? My university offered most basic vaccinations for very low cost, and also had information on clinics around NYC that offered more comprehensive vaccination services, also for low cost.

You can probably get them all at once if you find a place that offers all the vaccines you need. Some vaccinations might include a series of shots, so in that case you will have to obviously go back later to get the 2nd and in some cases 3rd shot. I doubt there is any place in NYC where you could get the shots for free though..

5. Several schools of thought on this issue. Personally, I do not think so.

[Up and Away 10]

Normally immunization records are kept with the public health nurses in Community Health offices (at least in AB and BC), not with Doctors. Your mum or dad may have a copy of your records, I have my teen daughter's from birth to now.

You can get a test called a titre test to check for immunity.

Not sure about any of your other questions

Thanks hikegirl! You were absolutely right --my doctor threw out my immunization record so I had to contact the local Board of Education's health department, which found my record in five minutes! It was amazing.

Hopefully this means no titre test.

[Up and Away 10]

3. Depends where you live. For me it took abut a week. It'll depend on how fast you can get the appointment, and whether your TB skin test comes back positive. If it does, it can be a false positive, but they'll send you to get a chest x-ray done to confirm. I didn't need any vaccinations, so I just booked the appointment a few days from when I called, went in to get the basic medical, and then came back in 2 days to have them check the TB test. I got all the paperwork right then and there.

4.Most cities have low cost health clinics where you can get basic vaccinations for very low cost. Doesn't your university have a health clinic (I assume you are in school since you're adjusting from F1)? My university offered most basic vaccinations for very low cost, and also had information on clinics around NYC that offered more comprehensive vaccination services, also for low cost.

You can probably get them all at once if you find a place that offers all the vaccines you need. Some vaccinations might include a series of shots, so in that case you will have to obviously go back later to get the 2nd and in some cases 3rd shot. I doubt there is any place in NYC where you could get the shots for free though..

5. Several schools of thought on this issue. Personally, I do not think so.

Thanks so much for the detailed answers, Little_My! Hopefully I won't get a false positive on my TB skin test. My school is an arts school, not a university, and it doesn't have a health clinic, but now that I think about it, it did suggest some low-cost clinics around NYC for medical issues. I should try to find that list. Thanks for the reminder!