Civil Surgeons in Alabama (long rant)

[Caryh 5,206]

we didnt go to the civil surgeon... only have two vaccines... about the copy of medical exam...the guy in my poe...gave me extra copy of that since i need to follow up my case about sputum here but stil never send that in our application...stil waiting to aos approval...but i already have my ead.

They don't check any of your evidence before issuing the EAD.

[Ketsuban 1,034]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but I thought you could send the completed DS-3025 with the AOS package, no transcription required. Only reason you'd need a transcription is if you didn't get all the vaccines at the first medical in your home country.

[Boiler 43,546]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but I thought you could send the completed DS-3025 with the AOS package, no transcription required. Only reason you'd need a transcription is if you didn't get all the vaccines at the first medical in your home country.

I was in the process of typing a similar reply, when I did mine either that was not the option or I did not realise it was not needed. I went to a clinic that focussed on Spanish speakers and they did it for free.

Took the guy 2 minutes and he could not be bothered to charge anything.

[_Paul&Jesica_ 70]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but I thought you could send the completed DS-3025 with the AOS package, no transcription required. Only reason you'd need a transcription is if you didn't get all the vaccines at the first medical in your home country.

You can, but when we looked at the DS-3025, it wasn't clear if it was complete. So having a civil surgeon complete a I-693 was just a safer precaution to prevent any possible issues with later in the approval process.

[raven52 233]

If your K-1 medical was withing 1 year.,.,.,.,You are really being scammed.,.,.,contact me and I can give you civil surgeon in Charleston SC.,.,.,and the "entire cost is about 100.00 .,.,.,.,.,this is terrible treatment!

[nobbie 105]

I dont get why you are even going to a civil surgeon, you only need 1 jab in a series. I had one MMR done in London and TD, it was on the 3025 and I got approved. My view was send it in and if I get an RFE deal with it at that time.

[Girl from Celebes 588]

I dont get why you are even going to a civil surgeon, you only need 1 jab in a series. I had one MMR done in London and TD, it was on the 3025 and I got approved. My view was send it in and if I get an RFE deal with it at that time.

That's my thought exactly. RFE can come in any form even for simple thing like a copy of marriage certificate and can delay the process. I did not do my I-693 as well and if I get RFE for that, I will deal with it in the future.

[BabyFaceWife 11]

Had the same issue here in Houston! After calling 5 different civil surgeons and getting the same answer every time we just went with the cheapest one. I guess that's how they justify the use of their "valuable" time to complete the paperwork. Mind you I had to help the physician fill out the paperwork because he almost forgot to date in a couple spots.

[Stevephoto 224]

Are you K1?

AMENDED: IF you received vaccinations as part of your medical—I just learned that some countries won’t do this!

St. Lukes/MANILA is usually pretty thorough. Joan got 3 shots (no flu) and did not get a booster and did not need/get another syphilis test (I never heard that before)

We did not go a CS and submitted the DS 3025 along with these instructions: Green Card in hand with no RFE!

www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-693instr.pdf

3. What if I am a K nonimmigrant visa holder and already had a medical exam overseas?

If you were admitted as a:

a. K-1 fiancé(e) or a K-2 child of a K-1 fiancé(e); or as a

b. K-3 spouse of a U.S. citizen or a K-4 child of a K-3 spouse of a U.S. citizen; and

c. You received a medical examination prior to admission, then:

(1) You are not required to have another medical examination as long as your Form I-485 is filed within one year of your overseas medical examination, and the medical examination did not reveal a Class A medical condition, or if you did have a Class A medical condition, you received a waiver of inadmissibility and have complied with the terms and conditions on the waiver.

(2) Even if a new medical examination is not required, you must still show proof that you complied with the vaccination requirements. If the vaccination record (DS 3025) was not properly completed and included as part of the original overseas medical examination report, you will have to have the vaccination report completed by a designated civil surgeon. In this case, you are required to submit the vaccination record and page 1 of Form I-693.

The post below tells you what to look for on the 3025 in detail. Good luck.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/428381-i-693-report-of-medical-examination-and-vaccination-report/?p=6206232

[mrschamp 0]

Well my husband and I decided to bite the bullet and pay whatever it costs to get it done. We went to Dr. Sherry Lewis in Huntsville and it cost us $460. The transcription fee is $125 and the rest is for 4 shots (MMR 2nd shot, Varicella, TDAP 2nd shot and Chicken Pox). It seems like she was the only doctor in this area who actually knows what she's doing. No medical exam, no X-ray and no TB skin test. She was very nice and I'm just glad to walk out of her clinic with the transcription of my vaccines. she also gave me a copy of what she put in the sealed envelope and a schedule of the shots I'm supposed to have in the next 30 days and 6 months.

[mrschamp 0]

yeap, I came here on a K1 visa. I heard some people got an RFE because they didn't have the transcription of the vaccines. Didn't wanna take a chance that's why we decided to just go ahead and do it. I couldn't find a doctor in here (Alabama) who would do just the transcription. Most of them say I need another medical exam and when we showed them the official instructions (same paragraphs you pasted below), they turn around and say ok, you need to provide a copy of your medical exam. called st.lukes and the girl I spoke with said the US Embassy forbids that so that's not even an option for me. the civil surgeon we saw today gave me 4 shots (2nd shot of MMR, 2nd shot of TDAP, Varicella and Chicken Pox vaccines). Got so sick of arguing with all of them so we decided to go with the last doctor who actually knows the process. We visited at least 6 clinics and called 10 doctors in AL and we're tired of dealing with them!

Are you K1?

AMENDED: IF you received vaccinations as part of your medical—I just learned that some countries won’t do this!

St. Lukes/MANILA is usually pretty thorough. Joan got 3 shots (no flu) and did not get a booster and did not need/get another syphilis test (I never heard that before)

We did not go a CS and submitted the DS 3025 along with these instructions: Green Card in hand with no RFE!

www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-693instr.pdf

3. What if I am a K nonimmigrant visa holder and already had a medical exam overseas?

If you were admitted as a:

a. K-1 fiancé(e) or a K-2 child of a K-1 fiancé(e); or as a

b. K-3 spouse of a U.S. citizen or a K-4 child of a K-3 spouse of a U.S. citizen; and

c. You received a medical examination prior to admission, then:

(1) You are not required to have another medical examination as long as your Form I-485 is filed within one year of your overseas medical examination, and the medical examination did not reveal a Class A medical condition, or if you did have a Class A medical condition, you received a waiver of inadmissibility and have complied with the terms and conditions on the waiver.

(2) Even if a new medical examination is not required, you must still show proof that you complied with the vaccination requirements. If the vaccination record (DS 3025) was not properly completed and included as part of the original overseas medical examination report, you will have to have the vaccination report completed by a designated civil surgeon. In this case, you are required to submit the vaccination record and page 1 of Form I-693.

The post below tells you what to look for on the 3025 in detail. Good luck.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/428381-i-693-report-of-medical-examination-and-vaccination-report/?p=6206232

Edited September 3, 2014 by mrschamp

[ZoieAndEvan 0]

If your K-1 medical was withing 1 year.,.,.,.,You are really being scammed.,.,.,contact me and I can give you civil surgeon in Charleston SC.,.,.,and the "entire cost is about 100.00 .,.,.,.,.,this is terrible treatment!

Can you message me the name and # of the civil surgeon you went to in Charleston, SC ? I only see two in the Charleston area when i perform a search. It wont let me PM you.

[icebryker 21]

Also called several civil surgeons here in Albany, NY area and was told the same thing. I found an email address of one of the civil surgeons and sent her an email explaining I came on K1 visa and said that I don't need physical exam. She emailed me back saying to call her clinic for an appointment and to tell the receptionist she said its just for transcription. I paid $85 for transcription and it was very quick. The receptionist and nurse in the clinic didn't know that it was OK for K1s not to get a physical exam. I completed my follow up shots and my missing TDAP from the county health clinic since it was cheaper there.

If anyone needs a transcription in the Albany area pm me for details.

[stats787 11]

Hi mrschamp,

Do you happen to know how much Dr. Crow charge for MMR and TDap?

Thanks

C

I came here on a K1 visa in April, married my fiance in June and now we're starting to file for my AOS. I understand that one of the first things I need to have is a transcription of my DS3025 from St. Luke's Manila where I had my medical exam. I made some calls and visited different clinics and I'm just baffled with the conflicting information these doctors have about the entire procedure for K1 visa holders. Most of them told me that I need another physical exam and the doctor won't sign anything that is done by another doctor. I explained to them over and over that a K1 visa holder does not require a medical exam according to the official I693 and I485 instructions. Most of them just shut me down and say they can't help me if I just want the paperwork because they have always done medical exams on K1 visa holders.

I read somewhere here (Civil Surgeons that don't rip you off topic) that in Alabama, Dr. Crow will do just the transcription for $50. So I called his office and spoke to someone and she said I don't need a physical exam. So, she scheduled me for an appointment and when my husband and I got there, the 3 ladies in Dr. Crow's office all told me that I need a physical exam. I said "No, I don't because I am on a K1 visa".

My husband and I try to reason out with them but they won't listen. They even told me that I need a copy of my visa packet. I told them "Mam, even if I shoot myself in front of an immigration officer, they won't let me have that yellow envelope" then she said well you should have made your own copy". I tried to make this one woman read the instructions from the USCIS website but she brushed it off and said 'I can't read that because I'm legally blind". I insisted that I talked to someone on the phone and they all shrugged their shoulders and said "It wasn't me". We drove from Huntsville to Birmingham to deal with this mess. I was getting frustrated so my husband told me to get back in the car and let him do the talking.

So he finally made this other girl read the official instructions and thought for a minute and turned around and said "Ok, we need a copy of her medical exam then come back here and we'll do the paperwork". My husband told them I don't have a copy of my medial exam because it was in the sealed yellow envelope and I surrendered everything to the immigration officer. They said they can't help me if I can't provide that. I found out later that the lady who does the immigration stuff at Dr. Crow's office is on a maternity leave. The 3 ladies I saw in his office should have just told me that they don't know the process and I am better off scheduling an appointment when the immigration lady is there. But after all that drama, I don't think I'd want to go back in there and deal with arro***t people who don't even have an idea how the process works.

So since we're in Birmingham already, thought I check out other civil surgeons in the area. We found Dr. Parsa and his staff told me that they are familiar with the process and I don't need another medical exam. Good news, right? Finally! She told me I need to bring my passport with the visa stamp to prove I really am a K1 visa holder. I asked how much will it cost for the transcription then she said $100. Wow... just wow! She went on and said so that's $100 plus MMR plus blah blah and pregnancy test so that's a total of $380. My husband and I looked at each other and told the lady I'll come back next time.

The following week, I decided to visit different doctors in Huntsville (I talked to them on the phone previously and all said I need another physical exam) and this time I carried the printed official I693 and I485 instructions. and here's what happened:

- Dr. Freddy McMurry - staff told me I need another medical exam then when we told them I just need the paperwork the lady said they can't help me and they don't know how to do it. Yeap, just like that! They didn't even try to ask the doctor or whatsoever if he knows the process for a K1 visa holder. So out we went. Didn't even argue anymore.

- Dr. Jerry M Graham - staff told me I need another medical exam plus Syphilis and TB test. We let her read the official instructions and she actually showed them to the doctor. She came back and said bring a copy of your medical exam, Dr. Graham will not sign anything based on this single sheet of paper (my vaccines from St. Luke's Manila). I called St. Luke's Manila and I was told that the US embassy does not allow reproduction of the medical exam results which means that getting a copy or proof of my medical exam is not even possible.

- Occupational Health Group in Huntsville, AL- staff told me that the transcription is $35 however, there's a big HOWEVER here... she said that I need MMR ($100), Varicella ($41), TDAP ($48) and TB Skin Test $25. She said if my TB Skin Test result is positive, I need chest X-ray and that's another $70.

My husband and I are on a dead end so we're going to do it at the Occupational Health Group. Hey $224 (assuming my TB skin test comes out negative) is better than $380, right? Plus we don't have to drive to Birmingham for 2 hours.

My question now is, am I required to get all the shots plus the TB skin test? I don't see anything on the official instructions that states I need to complete my shots for my DS3025 to be transcribed.

By the way, I called USCIS and asked if I can file a complaint against a doctor and the girl said she's not sure. Ok that helps a lot! Do they just accredit doctors to be civil surgeons without giving them an exam or something? They should know all the procedures for each type of visa. Don't they have a guide or a manual? Why do they say conflicting information. One doctor's office says this and another office says that. This is more frustrating than the whole K1 visa process, at least for me.

I'm sorry but I don't feel like spending a lot of money on something that is not necessary this time. The AOS filing fee alone is $1,070! It looks like they refuse to waste their time and just get a couple of dollars for a silly paperwork so they want you to do all these tests and get some shots.

Is there anyone here from Alabama who knows a civil surgeon who actually knows the process and won't try to get hundreds of dollars from me? Or do you know a doctor who will do it via fax?

I apologize for ranting here and thanks in advance for your inputs.