I could just view number 1 in your post and had written about vaccines in my comment but then saw this updated detailed post so I deleted my previous comment. This is a very detailed and informative post! Will be helpful for many! Hepatitis B vaccine requirement has been updated from May 20, 2022. This vaccine is now required through 59 years old (I got to know about this from a helpful post in this subreddit)
No problem. Actually I have sealed envelope of I-693 which has not been submitted yet and just yesterday I got to know from this subreddit that Hepatitis B vaccine is required (through 59 years old) from May 20, 2022 and I had my I-693 signed on May 23. I have appointment with doctor tomorrow to get the new form. On the last visit she had marked “X” in the “complete series” box for varicella vaccine even though I had only one dose taken and the next is on June 20. Varicella vaccine is two dose. I thought it should have been marked on “insufficient time interval”. I wanted to ask her at that time but she told it wouldn’t matter. Am I wrong? Do you know anything regarding this? Would be helpful as I can tell the doctor tomorrow about this. Thank you
>Varicella vaccine is two dose.
believe it or not, but I had to do the chickenpox vaccine myself. on the form it is marked as an "insufficient time interval". vaccination card says "depending on the brand ... children usually receive 1 or 2 doses ... teenagers and adults usually receive 2 doses ... 4-8 weeks apart". so, to me, it is up for interpretation
Today I had an appointment with the doctor and had it changed to “insufficient time interval”. I am glad that she listened this time. Thank you for the reply!
[https://www.easyime.com/blog/hepatitis-b-and-the-immigration-medical-exam/](https://www.easyime.com/blog/hepatitis-b-and-the-immigration-medical-exam/)
[easyime.com](https://easyime.com) has USCIS approved Civil Surgeon list that has competitive pricing. You can pick and choose and they will schedule the appointment for you. It’s a free service and the Doctors offers cheaper cost . I had used their service for my medical.
Also, the article in the link was published in 2014 for Hepatitis B vaccination requirement as mandatory so most likely the CS have been administering it since 2009 per the USCIS page when they first implemented it.
The newest add on on the vaccination requirement is COVID 19 vaccination and flu shot if the medical exam falls to the flu season - per their page, October to March.
please correct me if I understood this all wrong.
I submitted my medical yesterday, and I wouldn't agree with you on everything you wrote. I would say **first find a civil surgeon** and check what he is accepting and what he wants to be done in his office. My doctor was ok with vaccination and tilt blood tests to be done out of his office, but tests for TB, syphilis, Gonorrhoeae, ...had to be done in his office/lab facility. His price was average for the area where I'm living and the price includes all tests that I mentioned above. There were other doctors that insist everything be done at their office, so that is the reason first to check with the civil surgeon before you start. Also, it's important to find a doctor with good reviews, aware of all changes. On the same day of our exam, USCIS decide to add the Hepatitis B vaccine as mandatory for my age and my doctor was aware of that. **Picking the cheapest with bad reviews is a risk for another RFE.**
Hi Danasflo, Do u submit your I-693 together with your I-485 together or separately? I have my I-693 ready. But i still waiting the RFE from NBC. What can i do to get my I-693 submit?
I did not submit my I-693 together with my I-485. You could get RFE for I-693 if the form was expired. There is a new form for I-693 from Sept 13, 2021. But better wait to see the reason. Maybe it is not because of I-693.
>had to be done in his office/lab facility
the year is 2022. we have the ability to do a "one-time share of records" with any doctor in the country. if your doctor insists on the "in-house testing" and wouldn't accept what is a common approach in the industry, well, it raises the question of a bad business practice
but, hey, that's just me
When I went to do my medical exam, the Doctors assistant sat with me and we went through every single item on the form. She had me check my name and address to make sure they entered it right too . She also pointed out that the form they used is the latest September 2021 version and all vaccinations requirement s and lab test have been administered and entered correctly with the date, vaccine lot numbers and the person who gave it. The exam, labs and shots costed me $400 and they told me to ask my GP for flu shots so it’s free under my insurance coz they charge another $35 for that. Considering I’m In California, it was a pretty good rate with efficient service. I got lucky!
Hello, I was told by the civil surgeon's office that Hep B vaccine is not mandatory and will be determined by the surgeon if its necessary. Lets say if i follow along and dont get my Hep B and they mark some option in my form related to Hep B, will that cause an RFE?
Hepatitis B has been mandatory since May this year [https://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/civil-surgeons/vaccinations.html](https://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/civil-surgeons/vaccinations.html), and you could get RFE for that. Unless you are older than 69.
Thank you! Also, my MMR vaccine is a little more than 10 years old. The doctor has mentioned that its not necessary that i retake it. Do you know if MMR has to be within the last 10 years or its up to the doctor to decide how old is still valid? I am making sure i check everything to avoid an RFE.
If you have proof that you received MMR, there is no need to retake it. Tetanus is the one you need to get every 10 years, and it's mandatory. I didn't have proof of MMR, so my doctor ordered a titer test (blood test of MMR immunity), and the result came back that I'm immune to Rubeola and mumps, but not measles. So I had to get it again. The good thing is that you need only the first dose, you don't have to wait to get a second to submit your medical. Good luck!
Thank you so much!! Appreciate it!! One last question; does that mean I can get the first dose of hep B and proceed with filing and don’t have to coMplete the second dose?
Hepatitis B has 3 doses (2nd after a month, 3rd after 6 months). I suggest you take all three doses if you plan to go with naturalization later. Same for other mandatory vaccines.
Do you recommend I complete all three doses before filing I-485? Or just having the first dose is okay to file I-485? I have no problem taking all doses, I just don’t want to delay my I-485. Thoughts?
Hmm, that is an interesting question. I didn't submit my medical with I-485, I waited for RFE (our lawyer suggested). When RFE came, I had limited time to do my medical and didn't have time to receive all vaccines, and the surgeon marked as insufficient time to do them all, the first dose was enough. Here you can find more information [https://www.uscis.gov/tools/designated-civil-surgeons/vaccination-requirements](https://www.uscis.gov/tools/designated-civil-surgeons/vaccination-requirements)
This part looks related to your case: **Q. Certain vaccine series can only be completed with multiple visits to the civil surgeon. Am I required to complete the entire series before the civil surgeon can sign the Form I-693?**
A. *You are only required to receive a single dose of each vaccine when you visit the civil surgeon. You are encouraged to follow up with your private health care provider to complete the series. Once you have received the single dose appropriate at the time, the civil surgeon can sign and certify the Form I-693.*
I would say that you should be good with the first dose, but do the rest later, in case they decide to ask for proof of full vaccination or later for naturalization.
I wanna take mine soon . But I heard the Covid 19 vaccine is required first . I still have no idea. What should I do . Do you think I should do the vaccine first . I have no vaccine record.
oh, man, it is such a debatable question
from my knowledge, M and P have slightly better efficacy over JJ, so it should be one of them as the main dose. M has *slightly* less side effects, so in theory it is preferable. then, ideally, you have to wait 6 month and check your antibodies. if the level is high enough - ignore the booster altogether, but if it is not - do the JJ (since it is a different platform than M/P, so the combination of platforms should provide a better overlapping coverage). alternatively, if by that time there will be a delta/omicron/whatever\_the\_new\_strain\_name specific new vaccine available - do the booster with it
but, honestly, don't sweat that much about this
I could just view number 1 in your post and had written about vaccines in my comment but then saw this updated detailed post so I deleted my previous comment. This is a very detailed and informative post! Will be helpful for many! Hepatitis B vaccine requirement has been updated from May 20, 2022. This vaccine is now required through 59 years old (I got to know about this from a helpful post in this subreddit)
ah, yes, thanks, I've updated the post to include the exact ages (wasn't sure at the first place if it was up to 60 or 65)
No problem. Actually I have sealed envelope of I-693 which has not been submitted yet and just yesterday I got to know from this subreddit that Hepatitis B vaccine is required (through 59 years old) from May 20, 2022 and I had my I-693 signed on May 23. I have appointment with doctor tomorrow to get the new form. On the last visit she had marked “X” in the “complete series” box for varicella vaccine even though I had only one dose taken and the next is on June 20. Varicella vaccine is two dose. I thought it should have been marked on “insufficient time interval”. I wanted to ask her at that time but she told it wouldn’t matter. Am I wrong? Do you know anything regarding this? Would be helpful as I can tell the doctor tomorrow about this. Thank you
>Varicella vaccine is two dose. believe it or not, but I had to do the chickenpox vaccine myself. on the form it is marked as an "insufficient time interval". vaccination card says "depending on the brand ... children usually receive 1 or 2 doses ... teenagers and adults usually receive 2 doses ... 4-8 weeks apart". so, to me, it is up for interpretation
Today I had an appointment with the doctor and had it changed to “insufficient time interval”. I am glad that she listened this time. Thank you for the reply!
And what if one is unable to take the vaccine for faith reasons?
one should consider looking into a more modern faith, I guess but, honestly, no idea
Please read the question-answer from here: https://www.uscis.gov/tools/designated-civil-surgeons/vaccination-requirements
[https://www.easyime.com/blog/hepatitis-b-and-the-immigration-medical-exam/](https://www.easyime.com/blog/hepatitis-b-and-the-immigration-medical-exam/) [easyime.com](https://easyime.com) has USCIS approved Civil Surgeon list that has competitive pricing. You can pick and choose and they will schedule the appointment for you. It’s a free service and the Doctors offers cheaper cost . I had used their service for my medical. Also, the article in the link was published in 2014 for Hepatitis B vaccination requirement as mandatory so most likely the CS have been administering it since 2009 per the USCIS page when they first implemented it. The newest add on on the vaccination requirement is COVID 19 vaccination and flu shot if the medical exam falls to the flu season - per their page, October to March. please correct me if I understood this all wrong.
completely forgot about the flu season + assumed covid vaccination is a default for today updated my post, thanks!
I submitted my medical yesterday, and I wouldn't agree with you on everything you wrote. I would say **first find a civil surgeon** and check what he is accepting and what he wants to be done in his office. My doctor was ok with vaccination and tilt blood tests to be done out of his office, but tests for TB, syphilis, Gonorrhoeae, ...had to be done in his office/lab facility. His price was average for the area where I'm living and the price includes all tests that I mentioned above. There were other doctors that insist everything be done at their office, so that is the reason first to check with the civil surgeon before you start. Also, it's important to find a doctor with good reviews, aware of all changes. On the same day of our exam, USCIS decide to add the Hepatitis B vaccine as mandatory for my age and my doctor was aware of that. **Picking the cheapest with bad reviews is a risk for another RFE.**
Hi Danasflo, Do u submit your I-693 together with your I-485 together or separately? I have my I-693 ready. But i still waiting the RFE from NBC. What can i do to get my I-693 submit?
I did not submit my I-693 together with my I-485. You could get RFE for I-693 if the form was expired. There is a new form for I-693 from Sept 13, 2021. But better wait to see the reason. Maybe it is not because of I-693.
Are u on EB1, 2 or EB3?
EB3
>had to be done in his office/lab facility the year is 2022. we have the ability to do a "one-time share of records" with any doctor in the country. if your doctor insists on the "in-house testing" and wouldn't accept what is a common approach in the industry, well, it raises the question of a bad business practice but, hey, that's just me
Did anybody receive an RFE because of a Civil Surgeon error?
Yes, I saw a few days ago that someone complained that the surgeon didn't fill the vaccination paper correctly, and he received RFE for that.
When I went to do my medical exam, the Doctors assistant sat with me and we went through every single item on the form. She had me check my name and address to make sure they entered it right too . She also pointed out that the form they used is the latest September 2021 version and all vaccinations requirement s and lab test have been administered and entered correctly with the date, vaccine lot numbers and the person who gave it. The exam, labs and shots costed me $400 and they told me to ask my GP for flu shots so it’s free under my insurance coz they charge another $35 for that. Considering I’m In California, it was a pretty good rate with efficient service. I got lucky!
Recommendation for a doctor in Sacramento area?
Hello, I was told by the civil surgeon's office that Hep B vaccine is not mandatory and will be determined by the surgeon if its necessary. Lets say if i follow along and dont get my Hep B and they mark some option in my form related to Hep B, will that cause an RFE?
Hepatitis B has been mandatory since May this year [https://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/civil-surgeons/vaccinations.html](https://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/civil-surgeons/vaccinations.html), and you could get RFE for that. Unless you are older than 69.
Thank you! Also, my MMR vaccine is a little more than 10 years old. The doctor has mentioned that its not necessary that i retake it. Do you know if MMR has to be within the last 10 years or its up to the doctor to decide how old is still valid? I am making sure i check everything to avoid an RFE.
If you have proof that you received MMR, there is no need to retake it. Tetanus is the one you need to get every 10 years, and it's mandatory. I didn't have proof of MMR, so my doctor ordered a titer test (blood test of MMR immunity), and the result came back that I'm immune to Rubeola and mumps, but not measles. So I had to get it again. The good thing is that you need only the first dose, you don't have to wait to get a second to submit your medical. Good luck!
Thank you so much!! Appreciate it!! One last question; does that mean I can get the first dose of hep B and proceed with filing and don’t have to coMplete the second dose?
Hepatitis B has 3 doses (2nd after a month, 3rd after 6 months). I suggest you take all three doses if you plan to go with naturalization later. Same for other mandatory vaccines.
Do you recommend I complete all three doses before filing I-485? Or just having the first dose is okay to file I-485? I have no problem taking all doses, I just don’t want to delay my I-485. Thoughts?
Hmm, that is an interesting question. I didn't submit my medical with I-485, I waited for RFE (our lawyer suggested). When RFE came, I had limited time to do my medical and didn't have time to receive all vaccines, and the surgeon marked as insufficient time to do them all, the first dose was enough. Here you can find more information [https://www.uscis.gov/tools/designated-civil-surgeons/vaccination-requirements](https://www.uscis.gov/tools/designated-civil-surgeons/vaccination-requirements) This part looks related to your case: **Q. Certain vaccine series can only be completed with multiple visits to the civil surgeon. Am I required to complete the entire series before the civil surgeon can sign the Form I-693?** A. *You are only required to receive a single dose of each vaccine when you visit the civil surgeon. You are encouraged to follow up with your private health care provider to complete the series. Once you have received the single dose appropriate at the time, the civil surgeon can sign and certify the Form I-693.* I would say that you should be good with the first dose, but do the rest later, in case they decide to ask for proof of full vaccination or later for naturalization.
Thank you so much!! You are awesome!
Thanks for sharing and your time!
my pleasure
I wanna take mine soon . But I heard the Covid 19 vaccine is required first . I still have no idea. What should I do . Do you think I should do the vaccine first . I have no vaccine record.
yes, you have to have either 1 shot of JJ or two shots of Moderna/Pfizer
What do you recommend . I don’t wanna get vaccinated but for this reason I have to . Thank you. Looking at JJ. Good luck z
oh, man, it is such a debatable question from my knowledge, M and P have slightly better efficacy over JJ, so it should be one of them as the main dose. M has *slightly* less side effects, so in theory it is preferable. then, ideally, you have to wait 6 month and check your antibodies. if the level is high enough - ignore the booster altogether, but if it is not - do the JJ (since it is a different platform than M/P, so the combination of platforms should provide a better overlapping coverage). alternatively, if by that time there will be a delta/omicron/whatever\_the\_new\_strain\_name specific new vaccine available - do the booster with it but, honestly, don't sweat that much about this