Vaccinations help?!

[prish17 77]

Hello 

 

I've just spoken to my practice nurse (I emailed her in the vaccination requirement) and she is being very unhelpful.

 

They have said that I do not need any vaccinations before the medical and she has interpreted it this way. 

 

Can a gp refuse to give you any injections? (All mine are due)

[Kastrs 723]

All vaccinations you are required to have will be administered at the medical appointment

[prish17 77]

Hi 

 

thanks for the reply- i wanted to get vaccinations done here in the UK before moving as Hep injections (a course of 3) cannot be done in one appointment.

 

anyone in the UK who's had these done with their GP prior to the medical??

[Kastrs 723]

Your medical will take place in the UK and it is at that time at your medical in the UK that you will receive all of the necessary vaccinations

[prish17 77]

I understand that, thanks for your reply but it's not what my questions is regards to.

 

my question is one more specific to the NHS.

 

you cannot get a whole course of Hep b injections at the time of the medical (as it's a course of 3).

 

has anyone else had issues with their doctors surgery (uk only) with regards to this?

[Ben&Zian 4,397]

Agreed with above. People who have gone to try and get shots/immunizations done prior to the appointment(whether for cost or save time or whatever) sometimes have run into issues with this when it comes time for the medical and may even need to redo them again.

 

Wait until the medical. 

[JoannaV 173]

The NHS is under no obligation to give vaccinations that are needed for immigration. Different trusts/practices have slightly different lists of which vaccinations they will give to whom. Some vaccinations you can pay for at Boots or at a private practice: this may or may not be cheaper than what you pay at Knightsbridge, you can find the Knightsbridge prices online.

 

You don't need to receive the full course of a vaccination. That is, you can receive the first shot at the medical and that would be sufficient. For K-1 it is a bit more complicated, because if you receive the 1st shot in the UK then by the time you adjust status in the US you would need the 2nd shot. Given that civil surgeons can be a hassle to deal with, I would personally either want my vaccination record complete for the K-1 medical or if that was not possible then I would wait to get the 1st shot in the US.

 

Which vaccinations do you need? In your first post you said you need them all but in a later post you just mention Hep b?

[yuna628 9,539]

Hi there,

 

How old are you? You keep mentioning Hep B, but this is not a standard required shot for persons over the age of 18.

 

As for the list of shots over the age of 18, you can find the write-up of what is requires here:

Quote

Go to your NHS doctor and get the immunizations you will need for Adjustment of Status. You can get a K1 visa without having any shots, but you will need them before AOS. It’s extremely wise to take care of it before getting to the US so you can avoid civil surgeon hassles and $$$. Many NHS doctors will do them for free, but they are not obligated to do so for immigration purposes. Get the shots documented by your doctor to take to your visa medical exam. If your doctor should say you don’t need something on this list, remember you have to go by US rules and that differs from UK standards. Here are the shots needed for 19 through 59 years of age:

• Td or Tdap - Tetanus/diptheria/pertussis or get DT, DTP or DtaP and it will be accepted for AOS also. The latest shot must be no longer than 10 years ago or you need a booster. If you have a record of receiving pertussis, then the Td is okay for the booster.
• MMR - (if born in 1957 or later)-Mumps/measles/rubella. It's two doses in your life, but if you get the first dose, and 4 weeks haven't passed by your medical, they will waive the second dose for "insufficient time interval". If you only had one dose as a child, get a second one before the medical.
• Varicella - Not routinely given in the UK . A history of having chickenpox excuses you from the shot. They take your word for it at the visa medical exam.
• Influenza – Required during flu season only, October 1 through March 31. This was a new recommendation dated November 2010 for all ages over 6 months. Older lists will say flu shots for over age 50. It changed. The list on the London embassy website is out of date since 2009. Don’t follow it.

 

 

There are many times that doctors on the NHS may refuse to give a vaccination. Use caution when dealing with such a doctor or nurse - and perhaps try somewhere else. They do not know immigration law and while they are not obligated to give it to you for whatever reason they make up, their ignorance in the matter should not be a stumbling block to you. Find a way to obtain the vaccinations elsewhere or determine what options work best for you. While it is correct that an individual does not expressly need the vaccinations to receive a visa, once married and in the USA, and applying to adjust status - the vaccinations WILL BE REQUIRED. That is why we typically advise people in the UK to get their vaccinations BEFORE the medical either through their GP or at a pharmacy like Boots or DURING the medical.  Some GP's can demand payment, but that payment will be considerably cheaper than what you could obtain during the Knightsbridge medical or stateside. If you do not receive the vaccinations by the time you reach the USA, you will need to obtain them via a US Civil surgeon and go through the expensive hassle of time, money, and effort - when you could save yourself a lot of issues.

[martin bk 19]

Ok I've just had mine done hep B and A included. 

But first have you asked your doctor for your vaccination record? 

not everyone qualifies for the hep B/A I got mine from the local gum clinic as a gay man these are offered free of charge. 

You can have the hep B two ways one is over a shorter period with a booster at 1 year or longer period with a booster at 5 the hep A is two

injections 6 months apart. 

if you have no issues with going to your local sexual health clinic then I would advise that route, as those records are completely separate to your doctors records, I had mine and requested a letter giving the dates and injections I had and took this to my doctors and had them added to my vaccination record.

as for your MMR the NHS does advise all adults and children to be immunised, saying that not all doctors surgeries will offer you it, it depends on your age and a few other things. But it sounds like you got a nurse with her fingers tight on the purse strings as each practice has a budget. 

I recieved mine as I had no record of receiving them so I got mine free 

2 sets of injections (ouch)

Tetanus is the same you can request a booster but again not all will do it.

i had the full course - three lots of injections (more ouch) due to them loosing said records. 

my advice is ask for a copy of your records and any that you are missing if it's not age appropriate get them to mark it as such. Hopefully this will save you money when you get to your medical, failing that it doesn't hurt to have more injections if Knightsbridge decide you need them just a bit of your time if you decide to get them through the NHS 

good luck. 

I also had my polio - 1 injection (really ouch but it's worth it)

 

Edited February 28, 2017 by martin bk
Added extra