Chest X-ray, sputum testing, looking for feedback

[Dan and Akari 37]

As you can infer from the title of my post, my wife had her medical yesterday morning at the Nursing Home in Bangkok, and the chest x-ray showed minor scarring in the upper right lobe of her lung.  Off to the sputum test we go to confirm she is clear of TB.  Words can not describe the disappointment, grief, and myriad other emotions that accompanied this news a mere 30 days before her interview that we are looking at a minimum of 8-10 weeks delay.  Emailing today to re-schedule the interview is going to be a grueling task.  She has cried a river of tears already.

 

We continue to maintain a positive attitude, but want to prepare ourselves for what this detour looks like.  Consequently, we plan to schedule an appointment with a private physician to confirm the x-ray results, and if confirmed, hopefully find a test that provides results faster than 8-10 weeks.  I know the panel physician will not use the results of an outside physician to modify her diagnosis and recommendation, and I know the second opinion is our personal decision.  We just want to get an idea whether we should be setting ourselves up for a 2 month delay or an 8 month delay if she needs treatment. 

 

I'm hoping someone else can chime in with their experience in navigating this hurdle.  Do we go ahead and try to schedule another interview in say, 11 weeks in the event the sputum test is negative?  Are we required to wait until we get the results to re-schedule?  Instructions for Bangkok embassy simply say that if we will not have the medical completed prior to the interview that we need to re-schedule the interview.

 

Feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment.

[pushbrk 12,134]

17 minutes ago, Dan and Akari said:

As you can infer from the title of my post, my wife had her medical yesterday morning at the Nursing Home in Bangkok, and the chest x-ray showed minor scarring in the upper right lobe of her lung.  Off to the sputum test we go to confirm she is clear of TB.  Words can not describe the disappointment, grief, and myriad other emotions that accompanied this news a mere 30 days before her interview that we are looking at a minimum of 8-10 weeks delay.  Emailing today to re-schedule the interview is going to be a grueling task.  She has cried a river of tears already.

 

We continue to maintain a positive attitude, but want to prepare ourselves for what this detour looks like.  Consequently, we plan to schedule an appointment with a private physician to confirm the x-ray results, and if confirmed, hopefully find a test that provides results faster than 8-10 weeks.  I know the panel physician will not use the results of an outside physician to modify her diagnosis and recommendation, and I know the second opinion is our personal decision.  We just want to get an idea whether we should be setting ourselves up for a 2 month delay or an 8 month delay if she needs treatment. 

 

I'm hoping someone else can chime in with their experience in navigating this hurdle.  Do we go ahead and try to schedule another interview in say, 11 weeks in the event the sputum test is negative?  Are we required to wait until we get the results to re-schedule?  Instructions for Bangkok embassy simply say that if we will not have the medical completed prior to the interview that we need to re-schedule the interview.

 

Feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment.

Don't reschedule the interview.  Go to the interview, and they will wait for the medical results are complete to issue the visa.  Were you instructed otherwise? By whom?

[Dan and Akari 37]

12 minutes ago, pushbrk said:

Don't reschedule the interview.  Go to the interview, and they will wait for the medical results are complete to issue the visa.  Were you instructed otherwise? By whom?

We are going based on language here:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Supplements/Supplements_by_Post/BNK-Bangkok.html

that says:

”If your medical examination report will not be completed by the time of your interview (due to ongoing testing, treatment, or other reason), it must be rescheduled until you receive your completed medical examination report.  You can contact visasbkk@state.gov to reschedule your visa interview. 

[Devarj 32]

Sad news. Hang in there; it will all work out. Sorry, I'm not familar with Counsulate in Thailand. In Vietnam, HCMC, you can interview without the medical exam completed. I would email the office handling your case to be sure you cannot interview without the medical exam completed. On a side note, my wife and I lived in BKK in 2019-2020; We had a wonder time there.

[Dan and Akari 37]

2 hours ago, pushbrk said:

Don't reschedule the interview.  Go to the interview, and they will wait for the medical results are complete to issue the visa.  Were you instructed otherwise? By whom?

Can you please clarify your response?  We would love to keep our interview date so we will hold off on canceling the interview, but, unless I am missing something, the instructions I referenced above seem pretty clear that I need to reschedule until after “ongoing” ( ie the sputum) tests are complete.
 

We would love to hear/see anything that contradicts this. 

[Dan and Akari 37]

1 hour ago, Devarj said:

Sad news. Hang in there; it will all work out. Sorry, I'm not familar with Counsulate in Thailand. In Vietnam, HCMC, you can interview without the medical exam completed. I would email the office handling your case to be sure you cannot interview without the medical exam completed. On a side note, my wife and I lived in BKK in 2019-2020; We had a wonder time there.

I appreciate your response; however, I find the inconsistencies regarding this issue amongst different consulates a bit confusing.  I read other posts that reference something similar meaning their consulate allowed them to interview and then wait for results of the medical. The only reason I can think of for a consulate’s requirement to reschedule would be case volume, and I can’t imagine that Bangkok has that high of a volume of interview candidates compared to staff to conduct interviews. I am just shooting in the dark now because we are desperate for some encouraging news from this setback. 

[pushbrk 12,134]

1 hour ago, Dan and Akari said:

Can you please clarify your response?  We would love to keep our interview date so we will hold off on canceling the interview, but, unless I am missing something, the instructions I referenced above seem pretty clear that I need to reschedule until after “ongoing” ( ie the sputum) tests are complete.
 

We would love to hear/see anything that contradicts this. 

You already have the correct instruction.  That's why I asked the source.  You do as they say at that link.

[TexasRafael 103]

My experience with this same issue in Indonesia was not a pleasant one.  The very first time my spouse went to the medical prior to the Interview, he tested positive for TB and had to go into treatment.  Unfortunately my spouse lived in Sumatra a different island than Java where the only approved US Embassy Hospital is located and the treatment takes 6 months.  Since he was not able to do the treatment in Jakarta, the hospital requirements are that after the 6 months treatment, he had to wait another year to schedule a new medical test in Jakarta, a wait of 18 months, then when he went to the medical, because he had scarring in the lungs they required the sputum test again which by the way in Indonesia takes 12 weeks, (3 months.)  Eventually he passed and passed the interview and was given his visa but from the time that USCIS approved our K1 application in Feb 2018 until the time he finally entered the US, June 2021 was 3 years and 4 months.  Wish you the best but be patient.

[pushbrk 12,134]

It should be noted that the skin test produces many false positives.  The sputum test may show the skin test was false.  The above post is a worst case scenario.

[Dan and Akari 37]

4 minutes ago, pushbrk said:

It should be noted that the skin test produces many false positives.  The sputum test may show the skin test was false.  The above post is a worst case scenario.

I appreciate you commenting. It is my understanding that the unreliable nature of the skin test is why it was discontinued in favor of the sputum smear. We don’t anticipate any doomsday scenario, and we remain in positive spirits that her test will be negative.
 

We’ve been fortunate to have our I-130 approved in a little less than 6 months and have an interview scheduled 9 1/2 months after switching from K1 to CR1, so we are grateful to be where we are in the journey despite this setback.
 

We have been told the sputum test is what we need to do, and even though it stinks to wait another potential 10 weeks, we will comply and jump through the appropriate hoops. We will plan accordingly once we receive the results rather than fretting over it now. 

[Dan and Akari 37]

On 4/24/2024 at 3:55 AM, Dan and Akari said:

We are going based on language here:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Supplements/Supplements_by_Post/BNK-Bangkok.html

that says:

”If your medical examination report will not be completed by the time of your interview (due to ongoing testing, treatment, or other reason), it must be rescheduled until you receive your completed medical examination report.  You can contact visasbkk@state.gov to reschedule your visa interview. 

Posting update for posterity.

 

Specific to Bangkok embassy per the instructions above...

 

If you are required to submit a sputum sample for smear and culture test for TB, and you won't have the results to complete your medical packet before your interview, you must email visasbkk@state.gov and inform them of this situation.  You will receive an autoresponse email that states:

 

 

"Thank you for contacting the Visa Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand.  We will review your email as soon as possible.  For immediate resolution to most inquiries, please see our helpful Visa Navigator or detailed information on our website.      

   

Due to the high volume of inquiries received, if your inquiry can be answered by the information on our Visa Navigator or on our website, you will NOT receive a response.  If you are contacting us regarding a prior issue or following up on your visa application, please use the Visa Navigator for instructions on how to contact us.    

 

Please note that we DO NOT respond to general questions about visa services or the visa application process from this mailbox.  For inquiries related to visa interview appointment scheduling, visa application fee payment, passport delivery status; please contact our U.S. Visa Service Desk at support-thailand@ustraveldocs.com or contact the call center at 02 105 4110 (Monday - Friday, 08:00 - 16:00, except on holidays). "

 

Reviewing the Visa Navigator and Website, you will see instructions that indicate:

Who Is Eligible To (Re)schedule An Immigrant Visa Appointment?

You may only schedule a new visa interview appointment if falling under one of the following categories:

• I failed to attend the IV interview appointment scheduled by the NVC (or KCC for DV).
• My petitioner or I filed an IV petition through the USCIS office in Bangkok (before this office’s closure) or through the Bangkok Immigrant Visa Unit, and the IV Unit has asked me to schedule an appointment.
• My IV case was expedited through the NVC, and the Bangkok Immigrant Visa Unit has asked me to schedule an appointment.
• I am a follow-to-join IV applicant. The principal applicant has already applied for or been issued an IV, and the Bangkok Immigrant Visa Unit has asked me to make an appointment.
• Others such as second interview, oath renewal, reaffirmation, and the Bangkok Immigrant Visa Unit has asked me to schedule an appointment.

You cannot reschedule your visa interview appointment date earlier than your initial interview appointment date. If you do so, you will not be interviewed.

If you meet any of the following conditions, do not reschedule an immigrant visa interview appointment. Instead, please submit an inquiry to visasbkk@state.gov

• You have been interviewed.
• You are the principal applicant and you have not contacted the Embassy for more than a year.
• Your case is not current for processing based on the current cut-off dates. This includes retrogressed cases.
• Your visa class has been changed.

Pay close attention to the wording to determine what you need to do since the autoresponse email says you won't get a reply if you find the answer to your inquiry on the Visa Navigator or Website.  My wife is the primary applicant, and she never contacted the embassy, so we simply waited to receive a reply.  Within 48 hours we received a reply from visasbkk@state.gov with the following instructions:

 

Your case's interview date was provided by the National Visa Center (NVC).  If you are not able to go to the interview on your scheduled date, you can reschedule the appointment after the original interview date from the NVC (20-MAY-2024) has passed, and after the hospital clears the medical examination.

 

Please follow the instructions below to re-schedule your appointment after the date of your original interview has passed:

1. Log in to https://www.ustraveldocs.com/th/.  If you scheduled an appointment in the past, you should use the same email address and password as before. If this is your first time visiting the website, please create a login.
2. Click the New Application/Schedule Appointment tab on the left
3. Select Immigrant Visa, then All Immigrant Visas, then your visa class.
4. Complete your personal information and passport details
5. Add dependents, if any
6. Answer the questions as “Yes” or “No” to continue
7. Specify your document delivery information and update your case ID
8. Schedule your appointment from the open slots visible in the appointment calendar. 

NOTE:  If there are no available appointments, that means all appointments are filled.  We frequently open additional appointments.  Please continue to check the website for available appointments

9. Once your appointment is successfully scheduled, click on Printable Version, and print two (2) copies of the Appointment Confirmation page.  You will need both copies:

·         One copy is to show the hospital for your medical examination (if you have not completed your medical examination or if your medical examination is expired and you must get a new one).

·         One copy is for the Greeter when you arrive at the Embassy on the day of your visa interview. 

 

Hopefully this proves beneficial for anyone who may go through a similar experience in Thailand.  

 

9 weeks to go before we get the results of the sputum culture!!