Medical Exam in Almaty

[ITBOB 30]

Ineska,

 

Who told you that Russian citizens do not need the Covid vaccine? My Mother-In-Law called the IMC clinic to schedule an exam and they told her that she had to have an approved vaccine before she came for the exam.  They also say on their website that you must have at least one shot of the vaccine to immigrate to the US. I did schedule an appointment for my MIL's interview for Sept. 7 and we were going to schedule her exam for Sept. 5 but she hasn't had any shots of a approved or unapproved vaccine. The IMC clinic does not have any vaccines but supposedly the Pfizer vaccine is available in Almaty. I found three clinics that reportedly did have the Pfizer vaccine and we are in the process of confirming that it is available. Our thoughts were to get her to Almaty earlier and get at least one injection of Pfizer. I know in previous posts that some Russian people went through the exam and were given the "not routinely available" exemption but it seems like that may have changed. I would get something documented that says that they do not need the vaccine if possible. I will keep everyone informed as we progress. Thanks for providing the info! 

[Ineska 22]

40 minutes ago, ITBOB said:

Ineska,

 

Who told you that Russian citizens do not need the Covid vaccine? My Mother-In-Law called the IMC clinic to schedule an exam and they told her that she had to have an approved vaccine before she came for the exam.  They also say on their website that you must have at least one shot of the vaccine to immigrate to the US. I did schedule an appointment for my MIL's interview for Sept. 7 and we were going to schedule her exam for Sept. 5 but she hasn't had any shots of a approved or unapproved vaccine. The IMC clinic does not have any vaccines but supposedly the Pfizer vaccine is available in Almaty. I found three clinics that reportedly did have the Pfizer vaccine and we are in the process of confirming that it is available. Our thoughts were to get her to Almaty earlier and get at least one injection of Pfizer. I know in previous posts that some Russian people went through the exam and were given the "not routinely available" exemption but it seems like that may have changed. I would get something documented that says that they do not need the vaccine if possible. I will keep everyone informed as we progress. Thanks for providing the info! 

I agree with you that their website says “What if I have already received an unapproved vaccine?

- If you have already received both doses of an unapproved vaccine and in your country of residence you are denied vaccination with an approved vaccine, this will be documented during the medical examination. This will not be grounds for denial of your visa.

- Revaccination against COVID-19 (booster shot) for the immigration medical exam is not needed”

 

in our case my mother only has 1 Sputnik light dose and I asked the IMC if she needs to come earlier to receive the full approved vaccine, the IMC told me that if a Russian citizen has one or none- it didnt matter, they’ll write a waiver, but the citizens of KZ have access to the approved vaccine and should have the approved vaccine….

I did point out what the website said but they verbally told me what I said above…I am not super comfortable with a mix of info either…

let me know what you guys end doing…

[ITBOB 30]

Thanks for the quick reply. I am glad to hear that you were told that by the IMC clinic. After researching clinics in Almaty that should have the Pfizer vaccine, my MIL called all three clinics and they told her that they had no vaccines available, so I don't see anyway that she can get an approved vaccine. My plan is to call the IMC clinic this Sunday night my time, and talk to someone there and explain everything and try to get a definite answer on whether or not she can get an exemption. The other problem I worry about is if we get the visa without a Covid certificate, will she be allowed to board a plane for the US. I have heard that non-immigrants are not required to have the Covid certificate but not sure for immigrants. If the clinic grants a waiver and she gets her visa maybe the clinic can give her something to show she meets all requirements. I will let everyone know what I find out because there will be others in the same situation. Congratulations on getting an interview date!

[ITBOB 30]

Called the IMC clinic last night and talked to someone about the subjects we have been talking about, namely the Covid vaccine requirement. I explained that my mother-in-law who lives in Russia had not had any doses of any Covid vaccine. She told me that there were no approved vaccines available in Russia or Kazakhstan. She said my MIL like other Russian immigrants would receive the "Not readily available" waiver. This is the same thing that Ineska had reported earlier in this thread. I also asked her if there had been any issues with immigrants with the waiver having any problems with boarding a plane for the US and she said to her knowledge that there had not been issues that she had heard of. I would think that if the consulate approves a Visa then that should be all that is required, but I was not sure. She did suggest that we move up the appointment a few days because she said that even though they send the results to the consulate immediately, it sometimes takes 48 hours for the consulate to review them. I changed airline reservations today so we would arrive several days earlier than we had originally planned, so my wife and I will have a little longer vacation then originally planned. I hope this helps some others in the same situation and I will continue to post as we progress.

[Ineska 22]

3 minutes ago, ITBOB said:

Called the IMC clinic last night and talked to someone about the subjects we have been talking about, namely the Covid vaccine requirement. I explained that my mother-in-law who lives in Russia had not had any doses of any Covid vaccine. She told me that there were no approved vaccines available in Russia or Kazakhstan. She said my MIL like other Russian immigrants would receive the "Not readily available" waiver. This is the same thing that Ineska had reported earlier in this thread. I also asked her if there had been any issues with immigrants with the waiver having any problems with boarding a plane for the US and she said to her knowledge that there had not been issues that she had heard of. I would think that if the consulate approves a Visa then that should be all that is required, but I was not sure. She did suggest that we move up the appointment a few days because she said that even though they send the results to the consulate immediately, it sometimes takes 48 hours for the consulate to review them. I changed airline reservations today so we would arrive several days earlier than we had originally planned, so my wife and I will have a little longer vacation then originally planned. I hope this helps some others in the same situation and I will continue to post as we progress.

This is great news! Thank you for the update! Good luck guys! Please keep us posted my mother’s interview is on 10/24 and the med exam on 10/16. I’ll post updates here as well. 

[ITBOB 30]

Ineska,

 

My MIL's medical exam is on the 9-4-23 and her interview is on 9-7-23. We are cutting it pretty close but the clinic didn't think that it would be a problem. Hopefully they are correct.

[Ineska 22]

On 8/14/2023 at 10:37 PM, ITBOB said:

Ineska,

 

My MIL's medical exam is on the 9-4-23 and her interview is on 9-7-23. We are cutting it pretty close but the clinic didn't think that it would be a problem. Hopefully they are correct.

Hey ITBOB- I wanted to share we know another mom from Moscow who just had her medical on 8/15 in Almaty and her interview is on 8/22. She said the medical went fine and fast. No one even asked about her covid shots. 
 

She also said they offered her the antibody test for Mums/Rubella/Measles, but the test results would have been ready a day after the interview so she just got an actual vaccine (even though she’s had one before, they thought it’d be ok).

 

I’ll post an update after her interview once I know more. Hope this helps to ease your guys’ minds also.  Good luck on the 4th! Please keep us posted.

[ITBOB 30]

Thanks for the additional information and confirmation on what we had been told Ineska!  We are leaving for Almaty on 8-30-23 and if possible I will post from there our experience with the medical exam and interview. Good luck to all of us!

[Ineska 22]

On 8/17/2023 at 6:15 PM, ITBOB said:

Thanks for the additional information and confirmation on what we had been told Ineska!  We are leaving for Almaty on 8-30-23 and if possible I will post from there our experience with the medical exam and interview. Good luck to all of us!

Hey Guys- our friend’s mom visa got approved today. On med exam they didnt ask really anything- she just got the MMR shot and xrays.
She said the interviewer told her passport with visa will be ready within 3 days. 
 

I am sure your MIL will be just fine also! 

[ITBOB 30]

Ineska,

 

Thanks for the information, that is good to hear. If you can let me know when they actually get the passport with the visa and where they picked it up from. When I selected "pickup" for passport the only option I had was the DHL office in Almaty. I keep seeing references to VFS Global on the forum, but nowhere did I see that location as an option for passport pickup. The problem I have is her interview is on 9-7-23 and I was planning on leaving Almaty on   9-10-23. Because the interview is on a Thursday I only have one day before the weekend. If it takes three days I will have to change our flight out of Almaty. When I did my wifes K-1 in Moscow years ago we picked the visa up from the embassy the next day. Let me know what you have selected for your visa pickup location and did you select it on the TravelDocs website? Hopefully I will somehow get the visa in time to still leave on the 10th.

[Ineska 22]

1 hour ago, ITBOB said:

Ineska,

 

Thanks for the information, that is good to hear. If you can let me know when they actually get the passport with the visa and where they picked it up from. When I selected "pickup" for passport the only option I had was the DHL office in Almaty. I keep seeing references to VFS Global on the forum, but nowhere did I see that location as an option for passport pickup. The problem I have is her interview is on 9-7-23 and I was planning on leaving Almaty on   9-10-23. Because the interview is on a Thursday I only have one day before the weekend. If it takes three days I will have to change our flight out of Almaty. When I did my wifes K-1 in Moscow years ago we picked the visa up from the embassy the next day. Let me know what you have selected for your visa pickup location and did you select it on the TravelDocs website? Hopefully I will somehow get the visa in time to still leave on the 10th.

Will let you know.

 

Here is how I registered for a pick up, but didnt figure it out on my own:

 

https://portal.ustraveldocs.com/?language=English&country=Kazakhstan

 

log in

go under “schedule an apt” but pick an option for doc pick up

 

I had issues before with that secion/profile, because I had set up the profile for B1/B2 visa app in Astana, but later filed i-130. 
 

I then switched to IR-5 and it walked me thru all the steps. It had the GFS office address “temiryazevskaya ul. 28”V” in Alatau Grand” pre-selected.

 

I went to the next page and hit “printable version” it printed a letter with a bar code (you’ll need a pick up location letter with a bar code for the interview is what I was just told). Hope this helps.

[ITBOB 30]

Ineska,

 

Thanks for the reply. I went back to the travel docs portal and their is no option to schedule an appointment, presumably because I already have one. I checked all selections on their menu: (reschedule appointment, cancel appointment, update profile) but none of the options gives me the ability to edit the visa pickup location and I have no option to print a letter with barcode. I sent an email to TravelDocs asking about this issue and I will let you know what I find out when they reply. Thanks again!

[Ineska 22]

On 8/22/2023 at 1:32 PM, Ineska said:

Will let you know.

 

Here is how I registered for a pick up, but didnt figure it out on my own:

 

https://portal.ustraveldocs.com/?language=English&country=Kazakhstan

 

log in

go under “schedule an apt” but pick an option for doc pick up

 

I had issues before with that secion/profile, because I had set up the profile for B1/B2 visa app in Astana, but later filed i-130. 
 

I then switched to IR-5 and it walked me thru all the steps. It had the GFS office address “temiryazevskaya ul. 28”V” in Alatau Grand” pre-selected.

 

I went to the next page and hit “printable version” it printed a letter with a bar code (you’ll need a pick up location letter with a bar code for the interview is what I was just told). Hope this helps.

Hey @ITBOB our friend’s mom got her passport with visa on 8/24 (interview was on 8/22). Just a data point, let me know when you guys get yours. We are also trying to figure out when to buy the return ticket.

 

Hope you figured out the pick up registration also.

 

[ITBOB 30]

Ineska,

 

Thanks for the information. I have extended our stay in Almaty until 9-13-23 to be safe. My MIL interview is on the 7th which is a Thursday, and even two days would put it on a Saturday and I don't know if any passport pickup location will be open on the weekend, so I decided to play it safe. I have been in contact with the TravelDocs help staff and they told me to pick "Reschedule Appointment" on the menu and then I would see a "Registration of passport delivery address" button. I tried that, but their was only an option to reschedule the appointment. I notified them of that but have not heard back yet. Where did  your friends mom pickup her passport? I will let you know after the interview when we get her passport how long it took and any issues we encountered. Thanks again for the information!

[Ineska 22]

On 8/24/2023 at 6:53 AM, ITBOB said:

Ineska,

 

Thanks for the information. I have extended our stay in Almaty until 9-13-23 to be safe. My MIL interview is on the 7th which is a Thursday, and even two days would put it on a Saturday and I don't know if any passport pickup location will be open on the weekend, so I decided to play it safe. I have been in contact with the TravelDocs help staff and they told me to pick "Reschedule Appointment" on the menu and then I would see a "Registration of passport delivery address" button. I tried that, but their was only an option to reschedule the appointment. I notified them of that but have not heard back yet. Where did  your friends mom pickup her passport? I will let you know after the interview when we get her passport how long it took and any issues we encountered. Thanks again for the information!

I think it’s a great idea to extend the stay also.

 

Our friend’s mom picked up her passport with visa from GFS office address “temiryazevskaya ul. 28”V” in Alatau Grand” 

 

help desk also confirmed this is the place and our friend’s mom picked it up from there.