The new rules state that for any immigration medicals completed on or after May 1, 2024, a Polio booster (IPV) is required for all applicants aged 2 months and older, including all adults, unless proper documentation is provided of previous primary vaccination.
How Is Consistency of Vaccination Important for Immigration? Every country has its norms for the immigration process. Similarly, when you apply to immigrate to the United States, you will have to undergo a compulsory medical examination. The requirements of the medical examination vary from country to country. Proof of vaccination is mandatory and required for all countries. If you are already in the US, you should visit a civil surgeon recognized by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Immigrants from a foreign land can go to physicians authorized by the US Department of State. Continue reading to get a brief overview of the USCIS vaccine requirements, why it is important for US immigration, a list of required vaccines, new criteria, and other essential information.
Vaccination consistency is an important requirement for US immigration because immunization rates are low among people from different countries. Lack of immunization will make the immigrants more prone to diseases and increase infections among the US population. To avoid such issues, the government of the US has a required list of vaccinations that every immigrant needs to take before applying for US permanent residence. Read the list of required vaccinations given below.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has made it mandatory for all applicants to undergo a medical examination. The applicants must show proof of the vaccines they have already received. And if they don’t have some vaccinations from the list mentioned above, the applicant will receive those vaccines at the time of the medical examination. The new CDC immigration vaccines criteria specify which vaccines are listed for the immigration process. The new criteria are mentioned below.
Applicants who have some medical complications and cannot take the vaccines can get an exemption. For the medical examination, you need to get only one dose of the vaccine. But it is medically advised, and you should care enough about your personal health to complete the series of required doses.
Form I-693 is a Report of the Medical Examination and Vaccination Record. When applying for a permanent resident visa in the US, you need to show vaccination certificates to complete this form and prove that you are admissible on public health grounds to be in the US. After completing the medical examination, the civil surgeon will give the applicant a completed I-693 form. The civil surgeon will seal this form, and the applicant needs to submit this form to the USCIS.
Also read: Vaccination Requirements for the Immigration Medical Exam
If you are looking for a uniformed public health officer or a civil surgeon in the US, you should contact Dr. Steven Wittenberg Gordon for advice about your green card vaccines.
Dr. Gordon, MD, has been performing immigration medical exams and related services for the past 20 years as a United States Civil Surgeon. Dr. Gordon has conducted thousands of immigration medical exams to date.
Schedule an appointment for an Immigration Medical Exam in Overland Park, Kansas.
