kintu

Whether or not there is a moral imperative to do so, regulating the fees that civil surgeons charge will lead to fewer doctors choosing to be civil surgeons which means you'd likely have to travel farther for an exam (there is only one practice in my town registered as civil surgeons, and the next closest ones are an hour and a half drive away) and book appointments farther in advance to get one.

i agree with you as i live in Rural IL and the nearest CS to me are 2-3 hours

I am a nursing student so I had to be fully immunized before I could do clinicals. I brought in my immunization record from my home country and did blood test to make sure that I got them all. I did Tdap, hep B, and influenza at my physician for school. The only addition one for immigration was Varicella and my physician did that as well. All my CS did was fill out the form, test for syphillis, did tb skin test and read the results 2 days later. I just bring my record from my doctor and she sent copies to immigration...

cool ! that sounds fair.

Law and medical practice are indeed two different things, but why in the world should a better doctor not be able to charge more for their services, just like the better lawyer. All CS's have the same qualifications as a minimum, certainly some of them have qualifications that exceed the minimum, and I'm sure this correlates to the rates they charge. Doctors don't work for the government.

the test that they are performing is a basic one.as far as i am concerned i will still stick to my early notion that there is no point to consider Doc A to Doc B Because he is better than Doc B because they are not doing something exceptional when it comes to this immigration medical.this is a very basic test and there should be a regulated Fee for the same. for my other fellow member who mentioned that DOC business cost in different states are different and so are there salaries and expenditures,well,that is the whole idea here to make a firm medical cost for this exam everywhere.i am pretty sure they will get good business and positive reviews keeping in mind the large inflow of the immigrants.this other fellow on this thread taunted me earlier to keep in mind that i am not in my native country anymore and the cost will be more in the US.i took offense of it.i understand things will be expensive here but several hundred dollars just for a basic exam that some of the CS does for a little amount.i would never let a CS charge me whatever he/she wants.its about the ethics not the $$ for me.

I was hoping someone would point this out. Panel physicians can only charge one rate, dictated by the consulates. If USCIS were to start telling CS's what they could charge, they may become less flexible with what they allow you to get done elsewhere, like vaccinations and tests. Next thing you know, USCIS will be telling lawyers how much they can charge to handle an AOS from a B2 visa.

JULIE ,

what is wrong with that if they regulate a fix price for the medical exam ? it should be done and they should be made to abide this so they cannot exploit the vulnerable.somebody said in my post that what if they form some union and tell the govt that they are going to charge what they wan't ? well that is exactly what the govt.'s job is to stop businessmen working as a gang especially in the health sector.that is just unethical.this is not why the United states is famous for and your notion that "what if the govt tell the lawyers to fix their charging fee". i would welcome that if that happens ever but LAW and medical practice are two different things.A lawyer with better reputation and track record will charge more which is pretty justified.you will be better paid if you are better than the bunch.whereas on the other hand. all the CS's have the same qualifications and perform the same service in which it does not matter who is better than the other.my views may differ from the lot here but a lot of them will agree. But this is exactly what the purpose of this forum. to express freely and to get united against the BAD. have a nice day and god bless

Hello, welcome to VJ.

When I went for my medical my civil surgeon told me I could have my vaccinations done anywhere but I then had to bring a vaccination record to her so she could mark that I had the age appropriate ones done on the I-193. Your civil surgeon will be able to tell you which you need so if you choose you can have them done elsewhere. My civil surgeon was not sure whether the TB and Syphilis tests HAD to be done by her so she did them, looking back I think you can have them done anywhere.

I chose to have everything done by my civil surgeon. I am in the same age bracket as you , we do not need too many vaccines.

My medical cost $200 + $90 in labs. My medical was done within 3 days of making the appointment and I rang around lots of places to find the best deal, granted I had the luxury of a lot to choose from in Minnesota. One CS was booked for 1 month and the initial fee was $400.

CS are a business and therefore there to make money so really they can charge whatever they want, just like doctors, and business people in any field. It is unfortunate but true

1) if its ok if i send USCIS my medical report after we have petitioned for the AOS ?

Generally it should be sent with the AOS package, you may receive a RFE.

2) what exact immunization shots do i require(for a Male/28 with no past medical record) ?

You CS will be able to give you a list of the ones that are age appropriate so you can choose to use them or go somewhere else for the vacs.

3) if anyone have rather went to the local health dept to get the shots?is it a good idea ? what they charge (i have no insurance).

As I stated above I used my CS. Are you even eligible to get shots from the Health Department? I have no experience with the health department. I do however know that the medical is charged OUT OF POCKET anyway and even if you had insurance you could not use it.

4) your comments about these so called civil surgeons working as a gang ?

...

Thanks for your help xanax, i do not have a insurance like most of other immigrants (i am only two months old here)but i think local clinic would entertain you for a much lesser price. i will be doing this in the next few days and would share my experience here on VJ.

Wow I am so glad I live in Miami where there are plenty of CS around, and the price they charge wasn't nowhere near that expensive. I had all my vaccines already so all he had to do was transfer the records and to the TB test...in total I was charged $50. I guess I got REALLY lucky.

where do you get your vaccines and blood test done ?

Lock up the thread, thew question has been answered.

you cracked me up Mike B. lol

We received a very helpful checklist from our civil surgeon before the appointment and I thought I would share it (it is a lot easier to read then the USCIS link, IMO). My husband had his TB skin test, RPR (syphilis), and missing vaccination (tetanus) done at our local health department for around ~$60 total. The only thing the civil surgeon did was look at the results and give him a physical exam for $125. He also did not have a varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, because he contracted chickenpox when he was a child. We had his father (who is a physician) fax us a statement saying the year he was diagnosed and the civil surgeon accepted it without a problem. To the OP, my husband is 33 and the vaccines he was required to have were MMR, Td/Tdap, and chickenpox (but since he was infected as a child, that wasn’t a problem.) I have included the disease name instead of just the abbreviations to avoid confusion. Hope this helps someone out there

Document Checklist - Bring the following to your appointment:

Unexpired passport, visa, or government issued photo identification

Lab Test Results *all results must be within past 6 months:

RPR (syphilis) test results – ALL applicants 15 years or older

TB test – ALL applicants 2 years or older

Either TST (skin test) or Interferon (blood test)

*If TB test is 5mm or greater, or Interferon is positive you must also have a chest X-ray (you MUST bring a copy of your positive skin test or positive blood test AND a copy of the X-ray report)

Vaccinations:

Td/Tdap (Tetanus+diphtheria/Tetanus+diphtheria+pertussis)- ALL applicants 7 years or older

*3 doses total (dose 1 and 2 given 4 weeks apart. Dose 3 given 6-12 months later. At least 1 dose out of 3 should be Tdap)

*MUST have a booster every 10 years

MMR (measles, mumps, rubella)– ALL applicants over 12 months and under 65 years (2 doses given 4 weeks apart)

Varicella (Chickenpox) – ALL applicants over 12 months (2 doses given 4 weeks apart if over 13 years; 2 doses given 3 months apart if under 13 years)

*If you have evidence that you had chicken pox you don’t need the varicella vaccine

Influenza- ALL applicants 6 months and older, only required DURING October – March each year

Pneumococcal – ALL applicants 65 years and older

IPV (polio) – ALL applicants over 2 months and through 18 years old (3 or 4 doses)

Hepatitis B – ALL applicants 18 years old and younger (3 doses total)

Hepatitis A – ALL applicants 12 months through 6 years (2 doses, 6-18 months apart)

Meningoccal – (must be MCV4) ALL applicants 11 years through 18 years old (2 doses)

*dose 1 at age 11-12, booster at age 16 or dose 1 at age 13-15, booster at age 16-18

DTP/DTaP(pertussis component of this vaccine is acellular) – ALL applicants 2 months through 18 years old (4 doses before age 6, 1 dose at age 11-12)

Hib (Haemophilus influenza)- ALL applicants 2 months through 4 years of age

Rotovirus – ALL applicants 2 months through 8 months (must complete by 8 months)

*If you are pregnant you DO need TB testing and if positive a chest X-ray IS required; You DO need Td vaccination; you DO NOT need MMR, Varicella

THANK YOU SO MUCH DANI&JO , that was so nice of you.

Well there here I am! I've got TB test and syphilis, and gonorrhea/clamydia test ALL at my health care provider. I had no tests whatsoever done by my civil surgeon...like I said, I made an appointment for the civil surgeon and the day I made the appointment that was the following week, right on the spot they charged me $300 and gave me a list and told me to come back for the appointment next week with all those test results, as well as if I need any vaccination than a proof of letter that states I've got those taken care of. That is why I wrote earlier that I basically payed $300 "entrance fee". As I had no exam done by the civil surgeon whatsoever. So since my vaccinations were all up to date and clear (I grew up here in the US so I've got all my vaccination from the US) I only had the tests that had to be done. So I did those at my own health care provider and the next week came back with the results. They took it, I never even saw the civil surgeon, and they told me they will call me when I can come back to pick up the sealed envelop. In about another week I've got the call to pick up the envelope, so I went, picked it up, and took it home. That was my "civil surgeon examination". For "only" $300!!! LOL

that was a rip off dude , sorry

I got my vaccines at our local county health care, the CS suggested me to do so and just bring the record back to them.

Total four shots needed: MMR, Tdap, Polio, Varicella. and I am 22.

thanks linda , i appreciate your help and what about the TB skin test and blood test ? can we undergo these tests at a primary doctor or they have to be done by the CS ?

HIV testing is not required. Only TB, syphyliis and necessary vaccinations. The civil surgeon did my syphilis test but I went to my primary physician and got all my vaccine done. I also had a positive tb skin and did the Quantiferon instead on the Chest x ray at my physicians office. The civil surgeon that I went to in my area were Indians and they were the cheapest. 160 as oppose to 190 elsewhere.

Since you didn't send it with original package, you will get a RFE so I would suggest get it don't now so you can reply as soon as you receive it

Goodluck

thanks newbie608 , can you recall what are the vaccination shots you got at your primary doc ? plus, did you undergo the TB skin test at the primary DOC too ? ?

I'm not sure on that one. I've never seen anyone here say they got it done anywhere other than the civil surgeon.

You could try calling the civil surgeon and asking if they'd be willing to complete the I-693 if you got your tests done somewhere else. They might refuse, since they are trying to make money.

EDIT: I just reviewed the instructions on the I-693 and it sounds to me like the civil surgeon needs to complete the tests as part of the examination. Someone else may have more information, but I think you're stuck going with the civil surgeon on that one.

so you are suggesting me that i can get my vaccination done at county clinic and provide the CS with my immunization record and get the blood and tb test done from the CS only ? ? ?

I'm not sure if you got your question answered about what was required?

It's here:

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=3384cc5222ff5210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=6abe6d26d17df110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD

Typically they are cheaper if you get them done at the health department rather than the civil surgeon.

Shopping around for the best price is usually a smart idea.

Thanks DANDT14 , i have a another question for you if you may know the answer.other than the Vaccination,can i get my blood test for HIV and TB test done at the local state's health clinic ?

You can get the vaccinations elsewhere cheaper and bring the vaccination record with you when you see a civil surgeon. You are not required to get another medical if yours was done within a year of filing for AOS, but a lot of civil surgeons insist on giving one and charging for it anyway. You may to need to call around and check out the post here on VJ about civil surgeons who don't rip you off.

The only vaccinations required for AOS are MMR, Tdap/TD, varicella(unless you had the chickenpox) and flu shot(only during flu season> Oct.-Mar.). You only need the first shot in a series to file for AOS.

http://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/exams/ti/civil/vaccination-civil-technical-instructions.html#tbl1

thanks jay kay , one more question, what about the blood tests and the TB tests ? can i get them done at the state's local health clinic as well ?

my apologies to the Admin for posting the thread in the wrong category. please do the needful. thanks

Folks,

We filed for AOS few days back and have not included the medical exam results I693 along with the packet as advised by my attorney.also, i have no prior immunization record.i just want to ask the follow VJ members if it is ok to get all the required Vaccination done for free/cheap at a local county clinic and than approaching the USCIS authorized civil surgeon for his/her service ?Plus ,share your story if any member who sent his/her medical exam results after filing the AOS petition ?

I didn't hired an attorney, I did anything on my own including my previous 129F visa that got approved. I sent all the paper work August 22nd, got the sms on the 27th, hard copies August 31st.

For what is worth an RFE is way better than a rejected package, right?

yepp

I didn't hired an attorney, I did anything on my own including my previous 129F visa that got approved. I sent all the paper work August 22nd, got the sms on the 27th, hard copies August 31st.

For what is worth an RFE is way better than a rejected package, right?

yepp

thanks for your comments senior members

I agree with you totally...the shame is that USCIS begs to differ on this. Can't see the logical rationale behind this...I "only" payed $300 as an "entrance fee" basically as I have grown up here and got all my immunization here, so obviously I was not missing anything at all. The rest of the test (syphilis, gonorrhea, clamydia tests) were all done by my health insurance as here the civil surgeon basically just looked at those results, and filled the form out for $300!!! It was ridiculous! And I totally agree that USCIS should pay closer attention. I wish they did something about this...

All the best!

thanks for your wishes "Anotherlostsoul'

Hi all. I was just wondering if racist attitudes can change after one comes to the US and is exposed to a more diverse culture. My husband and I are in the middle of the visa process as he still hasn't been to the US yet. He grew up in a small city in India where everyone is like him (at most there are lighter 'fairer' skinned Indians as well as 'wheatish' (tan) Indians). Until he met me, and we travelled together to larger cities in India, he had never seen a white person or a black person or an East Asian person (besides on tv). As such he still has prejudices, and will sometimes say things that make me cringe. For instance, he thinks that white people are really beautiful, as has a fascination with blonde haired women (which I am not, as I am myself Indian-American). At the same time, he openly stated today (to my dismay) that he thinks that some people from Africa are too dark to be aesthetically pleasing (my paraphrase). I told him that he's being racist. He doesn't think he is racist, because he really likes Martin Luther King, Jr (and has MLK's "I have a Dream" speech saved on his cell phone. He has a good portion of that speech memorized). When I mention that I dislike how he is so attached to skin color, he simply dismissed it and says "it's a matter of personal preference. In India, we find fair skin to look better. Your parents don't like Muslims that much, so if they can have their preferences, I'm also entitled towards mine". I'm like "I suppose, but I'd rather live my life in a more inclusive way rather than find shallow and unnecessary reasons to dislike anyone." He was like "It's not that I don't like them, but I think fairer skinned people are better looking."

(On a side note, another thing is that my husband thinks it is okay to use the word "N--ro". I told him we don't use that word here, but say "African-American" or "black" instead, as people find the "N" word offensive. He started arguing with me, and saying that it can't be an offensive word since MLK, Jr himself used that word in his "I have a dream" speech. I told him that that was the 1960s, and this is now. I don't know why things have changed, but couldn't offer him any better perspective.)

I'm just wondering if such attitudes might change after he comes to the US and meets more people. I will definitely make an effort to expose him to a lot of minority groups, whether it be racial minority groups, or those with 'alternative lifestyles' (gay acquaintances, etc). I just want to take him out of his comfort zone and help him to stop fearing the unknown. All these minority groups are unknown to him, as he grew up in such a homogenous society.

I realize this is a sensitive topic, and that this topic can easily degenerate. I will request people to please keep any kind of bigoted or hateful comments (towards any group of people) off this thread. I simply would like to know if anyone here has seen changes in their foreign spouses after the spouse spent some time living in the US. From foreign spouses, I want to know if people have found themselves less fearful and more inclusive of people of other unfamiliar groups or lifestyle after moving here. Although my husband's words make me cringe, I'm just hoping his attitude will open up once he's exposed to the diversity here.

hope he is not from chandigarh ! !

I got the NOAs on the mail on friday and also the Biometrics appt.

BTW I made a mistake and copy paste the wrong link...

When adjusting status and filling a 485 you need to include your medical examination report unless you are a refugee..

Maybe you get an RFE (request for evidence)

my case is being handled by an attorney, he never told me to get the medical done prior to submitting but asked me to get it done after submission.hope i will not get a RFE . when did you petition ? got a attorney ?

You are welcome!

Where do you live in IL?

i live in warsaw by the state border of both iowa and missouri ,

what is your status ? i have just started and waiting for my first NOA from USCIS

http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-765instr.pdf

You can submit it later with a copy of your NOA

Thanks IAIA

i will appreciate answers from the couples who know/had been or going through the same ? senior members advice can help me a great deal.