What is an immigration physical?
An immigration physical is an examination conducted by a USCIS-certified civil surgeon who screens your health to ensure it’s safe for you to be allowed into the United States.
Certain health issues may make you inadmissible, such as:
- Carrier of a communicable disease, such as tuberculosis
- Mental or physical health condition that may endanger your life or someone else’s
- Missing specific vaccinations
USCIS won’t grant you a Green Card until you’ve completed this very important step. Dr. Skardasis is a certified civil surgeon who can complete the necessary health screening to help you get closer to your immigration goal.
What do I need to bring to an immigration physical?
The team at Optimal Performance Medicine provides you with a list of items you need to bring to your immigration physical. This may include:
- Valid government identification, such as your passport
- Required USCIS paperwork and forms
- Vaccination records
To complete the required paperwork, Dr. Skardasis and his team must ask you specific questions in English. If you can’t speak English or you don’t feel comfortable providing answers in English, the team recommends you bring a translator to your immigration physical appointment.
What can I expect during an immigration physical?
Your immigration physical isn’t like the physical exam performed by your primary care physician. The purpose of the exam is to determine if you have any health concerns that may affect your admissibility into the country.
The USCIS requires that you have certain vaccinations before admission, including:
- Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and rotavirus
- Polio, mumps, measles, and rubella
- Hepatitis A and B
- Influenza and varicella
- Pneumococcal disease
- Meningococcal disease
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
If your vaccinations aren’t up-to-date, Dr. Skardasis provides standard vaccinations at the office. Dr. Skardasis also conducts blood work to determine if you have tuberculosis.
Once you’ve completed the examination, updated your vaccinations, and the results of all your blood work are available, Dr. Skardasis completes the required USCIS medical form and seals it in an envelope for you to include with your immigration paperwork. You should request a copy of the form for your own records.
To schedule your immigration physical, call Optimal Performance Medicine today or book an appointment online.
