Missing vaccinations at medical (CR1 visa)

[Just Paul 4,591]

6 minutes ago, Crouch said:

The doctors at the medical do not administer any vaccinations, therefore I would say I will need to have my shots ahead my medical exam (in that case I do not know why the medical exam costs over  $300 here)

Just wait until the medical before you do anything.   Something sounds wrong with what you are reporting,  I know people that have gotten the shots on their own and then had them again at the medical.

 

Do your medical earlier then you were planing and you can always get the shots later.

 

Maybe @SusieQQQ knows of someone that got a 221(g) for not having shots,  I can't remember hearing of any.

 

The fee (upper limit)  and requirements are set by the Embassy not by the provider.

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

32 minutes ago, Paul & Mary said:

Just wait until the medical before you do anything.   Something sounds wrong with what you are reporting,  I know people that have gotten the shots on their own and then had them again at the medical.

 

Do your medical earlier then you were planing and you can always get the shots later.

 

Maybe @SusieQQQ knows of someone that got a 221(g) for not having shots,  I can't remember hearing of any.

 

The fee (upper limit)  and requirements are set by the Embassy not by the provider.

Nope, it doesn’t happen afaik. The “worst” that happens with lack of vaccines is that there is a medical annotation on the visa from, what I’ve heard.  The only 221g s for medicals I’ve heard of are when the medical is “failed” due to TB or another communicable disease, and treatment and a clean medical needed for the visa. 

 

Btw I agree that it sounds like OP may have misunderstood or something. 

Edited January 12, 2019 by SusieQQQ

[Michaela K. 93]

Honestly they probably don't know what they're doing! I was so frustrated with them! Here's my review that I included in the embassy review since there is no other space where to write it. I did K1 but it's similar. If I don't have all required vaccinations on the medical form from the Czech republic, then I'd have to go to a civil surgeon in the US, get a new form filled and pay more money. Hope it helps! Feel free to message me

 

Medical
I wish there was a review section for the medical place as well since I was surprised that they didn't proceed as I read about on official websites, which caught me off guard. Luckily, I found out ahead of time. Before you continue reading, please do your own research since I can't guarantee I'm right. We'll find out once I'm doing my AOS I guess. Anyway I thought they were supposed to perform any vaccinations that I didn't have yet that are mandatory for my age for immigration and record the ones I had + the ones they did. They record them on a DS-3025 form for the embassy and they give you a copy of this form as well. You can find tables for the vaccinations required by age on official government websites. I was surprised when I asked about it while scheduling my medical and they told me they don't do vaccinations. So I took it into my own hands and based on the tables I got all the necessary vaccinations done ahead of the medical so then they would record all of them into the form at the medical. Then at the medical while talking to the doctor as she was writing down information, I was trying to nicely make sure she'd record everything from my vaccinations records but also varicella (plané neštovice) since I didn't have vaccination for it but I had them as a child and there is a section for the doctor to record it on the form as well (varicella history). Also I made sure varicella was on the paper from my physician with a year when I had it that I took to the medical. I'm glad I did that because one girl didn't know about it and they didn't record her varicella history. Not sure what she's gonna have to do now. From my understanding, the point of the form DS-3025 being complete is, if it is done right and you have every required vaccination recorded, then it is enough to have this complete form for AOS and you don't need to go to another doctor in the US, get another form filled and pay more money for it. I found this information in the official instructions for AOS form. As I said, please do your own research, this is my understanding of what will be required in the US for AOS. There's no problem to get the missing stuff done in the US, my thinking is - we already have to do medical and pay money for it in Prague so if I can avoid having to go to another doctor and I can save time and money just by making sure I have everything right already in Prague then it's a win.
 

[Michaela K. 93]

I was frustrated because they told me the same thing when I called to the medical - you're fine if you have tetanus and mmr. But I knew that it may be enough to get the visa issued but wouldn't be enough for AOS. Not sure about your tetanus but one more thing - US requires tetanus to be redone every 10 years while in the Czech republic it's 15 years so I got the tetanus done, too. I'd be fine by the Czech rep. standards but not the US ones. I also got influenza (it was flu season). Also I was told there should be a 2 week gap between the shots so mind that when planning your timeline. 

[Crouch 4]

Michaela, thank you for commenting on this topic, I really appreciate it

 

I did read your embassy review with your medical description. It is very similar to what I have heard from the doctors.  Altough in my case (cr1/ir1) I do not know what the checkpoints in the USA would be where they would check i really got the recommended vaccinations- I assume that in case of K1 visa that would be AOS. 

 

I will only need influenza and possibly also TDaP booster for my missing vaccines. 

 

If the embassy issues my visa even without the completed vaccinations, I don't see any reason why to get them.  But at the same time I just might get them to be on the safe side. I am torn

 

Either way, it seems like the doctors don't know what they're doing here which is quite frustrating.

[Michaela K. 93]

2 hours ago, Crouch said:

Michaela, thank you for commenting on this topic, I really appreciate it

 

I did read your embassy review with your medical description. It is very similar to what I have heard from the doctors.  Altough in my case (cr1/ir1) I do not know what the checkpoints in the USA would be where they would check i really got the recommended vaccinations- I assume that in case of K1 visa that would be AOS. 

 

I will only need influenza and possibly also TDaP booster for my missing vaccines. 

 

If the embassy issues my visa even without the completed vaccinations, I don't see any reason why to get them.  But at the same time I just might get them to be on the safe side. I am torn

 

Either way, it seems like the doctors don't know what they're doing here which is quite frustrating.

No problem! Honestly I don't think they know what they're doing. I was even thinking about contacting someone at the embassy regarding this but didn't want to mess up the process for myself or anyone after me. They told one girl when she asked at the medical that she may need hepatitis for the green card but as you said before, according to the official tables our age group doesn't need it! If I were you and if it's written somewhere on the official website that you need them, I'd just get those 2 vaccines ahead the medical just for my own piece of mind. You'd need tetanus at some point in the US anyway. I've never had a flu shot before but I "survived" getting it this one time. And just make sure the doctor at the medical puts varicella history into the form. 

The medical was a bit awkward as I didn't know how to make it clear nicely what needs to be on there . So I was just kind of like "btw I read on official gov website that I need to have this and this for the green card... ehm I heard about some girls having problems with not having it so I just want to make sure I have it all on there" and the doctor said something along the lines that she tells everyone about the requirements but people sometimes don't listen, which is bs I think. The girl I mentioned, was told by the doctor to get the hepatitis before leaving or in the US but that would be after medical so even if it was needed, it wouldn't be on the vaccination form and therefore it'd be useless for K1, they'd have to go to a civil surgeon in the US to get all docs filled again, pay money etc. 🙄

[Crouch 4]

20 hours ago, Michaela K. said:

No problem! Honestly I don't think they know what they're doing. I was even thinking about contacting someone at the embassy regarding this but didn't want to mess up the process for myself or anyone after me. They told one girl when she asked at the medical that she may need hepatitis for the green card but as you said before, according to the official tables our age group doesn't need it! If I were you and if it's written somewhere on the official website that you need them, I'd just get those 2 vaccines ahead the medical just for my own piece of mind. You'd need tetanus at some point in the US anyway. I've never had a flu shot before but I "survived" getting it this one time. And just make sure the doctor at the medical puts varicella history into the form. 

The medical was a bit awkward as I didn't know how to make it clear nicely what needs to be on there . So I was just kind of like "btw I read on official gov website that I need to have this and this for the green card... ehm I heard about some girls having problems with not having it so I just want to make sure I have it all on there" and the doctor said something along the lines that she tells everyone about the requirements but people sometimes don't listen, which is bs I think. The girl I mentioned, was told by the doctor to get the hepatitis before leaving or in the US but that would be after medical so even if it was needed, it wouldn't be on the vaccination form and therefore it'd be useless for K1, they'd have to go to a civil surgeon in the US to get all docs filled again, pay money etc. 🙄

Thank you for sharing your experience! Really appreciate it!

 

Right now I'm also leaning towards getting the vaccinations done before my medical for my piece of mind. At the medical I will check the form if it has all the vaccinations + chickenpox history on there before signing it. 

 

GL in the USA (if you haven't left already)!

[Michaela K. 93]

2 hours ago, Crouch said:

Thank you for sharing your experience! Really appreciate it!

 

Right now I'm also leaning towards getting the vaccinations done before my medical for my piece of mind. At the medical I will check the form if it has all the vaccinations + chickenpox history on there before signing it. 

 

GL in the USA (if you haven't left already)!

Thank you! Good luck to you as well!  

Btw not sure how it is with your type of case but at the medical I didn't get to see the form. I just got a copy a week later. So I was nervous waiting that time to see what's on there 😬