No vaccination record at time of examination, London

[Taylord 0]

Hi,

I'm currently in the USA on a K1 visa and applying for AOS. Apologies if this is not in the correct section.

At the time of my medical examination in London, my Doctor's office in the UK provided me with all my medical records except my vaccination history. By the time I had managed to obtain these records it was only a few days before my exam and I was living far from my GP's office. This obviously meant that I had to defer my vaccinations for Td/Tdap and MMR.

I moved back to my childhood home a few months later in preparation for leaving the UK and made sure to get the vaccination records I originally needed. I'm now scheduled for an appointment with a civil surgeon to fill in the vaccination page of the I-693. Does anyone know how likely it is that the authorized doctor will take my UK vaccination records (signed by my doctor with exact dates they were given) as bona fide proof of my immunity?

Thanks!

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

They are instructed to accept them. Unfortunately, not all Civil Surgeons read their instructions. Many try to make you do the full exam again. You might want to verify before you go that no exam will be given and the cost just to fill out the immunization part. Otherwise you may choose to pick a different Civil Surgeon.

[KayDeeCee 4,891]

Yes, a civil surgeon can accept vaccination records from another doctor. You may need to call around to find one that will do just the vaccinations transcription though.

Vaccination Requirements for Adjustment of Status Applicants

All adjustment of status applicants must be assessed for vaccination requirements (Table). The civil surgeon must review all vaccination records presented by the applicant during this process and record the vaccination assessment results on Form I-693, Vaccination Record.

http://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/exams/ti/civil/vaccination-civil-technical-instructions.html

They can even accept records that are not in English.

Q44. Are vaccination records in a language other than English considered valid for purposes of Form I-693?
A44. Yes, a civil surgeon may accept vaccination records in a language other than English. The Technical Instructions state that it is the applicant’s responsibility to provide reliable English translations of all records to the civil surgeon. See http://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/exams/ti/civil/vaccination-civil-technical-instructions.html#assessment. Civil surgeons should use their best judgment in determining whether translations provided by the applicant are sufficient and credible enough to be considered part of the applicant’s medical history.

http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Outreach/Notes%20from%20Previous%20Engagements/2012/May%202012/civil-surgeonQA-11-13-12.pdf

~ Moved from K-1 Process to AOS from Family Based Visas - topic is AOS, not K-1 ~

[CaliforniaGirl 0]

Hi, we had the same situation with our K-1 visa.. After my fiance entered the US on his K-1, I called around town to find a civil surgeon who would fill out the vaccination record page on the I-693 form. I had to call several, because they all want to do the medical exam and the vaccination record. I found a thread on visajoiurney that lead me to a civil surgeon in my city who would fill out only the vaccination part of the form. What they did was fill out page one (the page with your name, address, and the civil surgeon's name and signature, etc) and, then on all the other pages (that have to do with the medical exam, they just put N/A). They only filled out the page that has to do with the vaccination record. They charged $50.

Your local Catholic Charities Immigrant Services is also a good source of civil surgeons, and usually the ones they recommend are very reasonable. I found a civil surgeon through Catholic Charities that would charge $25. (I ended up going to another civil surgeon who could read Spanish. The one recommended by Cath Charities could read Vietnamese and I needed Spanish).

[Taylord 0]

Thanks to all for your responses -- all very helpful.

I did have some trouble finding a doctor that would only do the vaccination sheet but we eventually found someone for a $75 fee. Not bad considering most wanted $200+ for a full medical.

Thanks again!

Edited December 9, 2014 by Taylord

[Taylord 0]

UPDATE: I had my vaccination appointment today. A few hiccups with the nurse who was quite rude and insisted that I required a full medical despite confirming with the office manager that she was aware of the AOS I-693 procedure concerning the K1. Being the incredibly cautious person I am, I showed her my printed copy of the instructions for the I-485 and the instructions for the I-693 and quickly got this sorted out with the office manager. Paperwork for page 1 and 5 of I-693 cost: $75

Once these initial problems were resolved, they wanted further proof of my Varicella history despite it being confirmed on my vaccination worksheet from Knightsbridge. I have no proof. as i imagine many don't, as it's not something people in the UK visit the doctor for unless it becomes serious. They made me do a blood test for $50 rather than getting the vaccination for $145 as my mother and I are certain I've had it and i'm immune. I also have a younger sister (by 13 years), we shared a room and a bed for the majority of her life. She had the chicken pox during in that time also. Plus MORE siblings closer in age that had it at the same time.

After that was sorted, they said I had my only MMR vaccine at too younger age, so rather than getting a second shot and completing the immunization cycle I'm still stuck on shot number one (received today). Am I assuming correctly that I will receive a blanket wavier for this as an insufficient time interval and will this effect the outcome of my AOS application? I plan on getting the second vaccination by a local doctor that is covered by our insurance. At any point during this process will I need to prove that I've had second (or even third) shots? MMR shot cost: $80

Td was in date and they made me get a flu shot of course. $40.

TOTAL: $245.

We had anticipated for it costing this much but it still bugs me how poor civil surgeon's (and staff) knowledge is regarding visa requirements.

Varicella results will be in Friday afternoon. They should be fine but there's always a shadow of worry hanging over you with anything questionable during any immigration process.

Edited December 10, 2014 by Taylord

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

Technical Instructions for Civil Surgeons http://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/exams/ti/civil/vaccination-civil-technical-instructions.html#assessment

Laboratory Evidence of Immunity

Laboratory evidence of immunity is acceptable for measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, polio, and varicella.

The civil surgeon should obtain from the applicant a good history of acute, vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella, to identify any naturally acquired diseases for optional laboratory confirmation. An applicant who provides a reliable written or oral history of varicella disease does not require laboratory confirmation or further vaccination.

He could have taken your word or the Knightsbridge form.

No you don't need any more doses for immigration purposes (beyond what gets put on the I-693) .

[Taylord 0]

Thanks Nich-Nick for your response!