How Long Does It Take To Get a Green Card After I-693 in Phoenix?

Written by Diamondback Legal on December 16, 2022

Applicants living outside the United States must complete Form I-693 and Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. An application will not be approved if an applicant does not submit to a medical exam and submit a Form I-693, which is seeking to identify any condition that might result in an applicant being deemed inadmissible, such as communicable diseases having great significance on public health, drug addiction or abuse, failure to show proof of certain vaccines or mental or physical disorders that lead to harmful behavior.

Navigating the I-693 Process in Phoenix

All people filing for an adjustment of status under Form I-485 must complete the green card medical exam required by Form I-693. You will fill out your personal information and take the form to be completed by an approved doctor.

People applying from within the United States can see a civil surgeon designated by USCIS. Those applying from abroad must see a panel physician authorized by the United States Department of State.

USCIS has a section on its website that allows you to search for a civil surgeon. When you locate an approved medical professional, you schedule an appointment.

New USCIS guidelines changed the validity period of I-693s from one year to two years. The new guidelines also state that Form I-693 is only valid when a civil surgeon signs it within 60 days of the date an applicant files an application, and USCIS adjudicates the application within two years of the date of the civil surgeon’s signature.

When a person is scheduling their medical exam in conjunction with a green card application, they only have two months to file after they get their medical exam. People are able to apply for green cards without medical exams so long as there is an intention of getting the exam to complete the application.

A person applying from outside the United States can schedule their immigration medical exam after they have your green card interview appointment. Their results will only be valid for three to six months.

A person could receive a notice from USCIS informing them that their Form I-485 Application to Adjust Status is now deficient because they did not submit a completed and signed Form I-693. The notice does not mean that there is going to be any kind of delay in reviewing the I-485 application or issuing a person a work permit until they submit their medical to USCIS.

The notice is usually a reminder that a person needs to submit their completed and signed Form I-693 Medical Exam to USCIS either at their adjustment of the status interview or, when requested, by USCIS through a Request for Evidence. You do not have to submit your completed and signed Form I-693 when you file your I-485.

Items to Leave Your Exam With

The items you will need to take to your exam will include a valid passport or some other government-issued picture identification, your vaccination records, the doctor’s fee, passport photographs when required, and your Form I-693 with Part 1 already filled in with a person’s legal name, their address, their sex, their date of your birth, the name of the city, village, or town they were born in, the name of their birth country, an Alien Registration Number (A-Number) when applicable, and the number of a person’s USCIS online account. After you attend your I-693 medical exam, you are going to need to make sure you have everything you need. Ensure you have everything on this checklist:

A partially completed Form I-693
A complete list of all vaccines you have had (needs to be translated to English if it’s in a foreign language)
A list of any of your chronic medical conditions or any medication you are taking
If a person has been treated or hospitalized for either a psychiatric or mental illness, or alcohol or drug abuse, they need to bring written certification from a doctor that includes the diagnosis, length of treatment, and prognosis
If a person has any history of violent behavior, they will need to bring information allowing the doctor to determine whether their behavior related to any kind of a psychiatric or medical problem, or drug or alcohol use
If a person had syphilis, they will need a written certificate signed by a doctor or public health official that proves they were adequately treated
If a person or anyone in their immigrating family has any form of disabilities, they should bring a report of their condition, and any requirements they have as far as special education or supervision
If a person has ever tested positive for tuberculosis, they should bring a certificate from their doctor giving the circumstances of a positive test result, the treatment prescribed and how long it lasted, and proof they were adequately treated
If a person ever had an abnormal chest X-ray, they must bring the last X-ray films taken

What Happens at an I-693 Exam in Phoenix

When you go to see a doctor for your exam, they will typically ask you a few basic questions and perform a brief physical examination without performing a full physical exam although a person may have to submit to a blood test and urine test. A doctor’s role in this situation is more to look for physical or mental behavior that might indicate a substantial departure from a person’s normal state of well-being or level of functioning.

People should expect questions about their medical histories, any history of drug or alcohol abuse, mental illness history, whether chest x-rays have been performed, and any police, employment, or military records that might indicate histories of physical or mental disorders. There will also be questions about symptoms relating to certain disorders and mental status examinations assessing a person’s intelligence, judgment, and comprehension.

Female applicants must complete medical exams even when they are having menstrual periods. Pregnant women can postpone the X-ray until after giving birth, but an X-ray needs to be completed before entering the United States or completing the green card interview.

Vaccines you will need to complete your I-693 and get your green card include:

Tetanus
Diphtheria
Polio
Pertussis
Mumps
Measles
Rotavirus
Rubella
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Haemophilus influenzae type B (HIB)
Varicella
Meningococcal disease
Influenza
Pneumococcal disease

USCIS states that applicants with communicable diseases of public health significance are inadmissible and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) designated the following conditions as being communicable diseases of public health significance applying to all immigration medical examinations that are conducted in the United States:

Gonorrhea
Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy)
Syphilis
Tuberculosis (TB)

Only Class A TB diagnoses, meaning TB that is clinically active and communicable, render applicants inadmissible. HHS regulations also list two other general categories of communicable diseases of public health significance that include communicable diseases that may make a person subject to quarantine, or communicable diseases that could pose a public health emergency of international concern when they meet one or more listed factors for which the director of the CDC has determined a threat exists for importation into the United States, and such disease may potentially affect the health of the American public.

When an initial screening test is positive, an applicant has signs or symptoms of TB or has a known HIV infection, a chest X-ray must be performed. Applicants with chest x-ray findings suggestive of TB, signs or symptoms of TB, or known HIV infection need to be referred to the health department of the jurisdiction for sputum testing.

Completing the I-693 Exam

It will usually take two weeks to schedule a Form I-693 medical exam and two more weeks to receive the complete and sealed Form I-693. A signed and submitted Form I-693 is valid for two years.

USCIS currently estimates a processing time of 12 months for 80 percent of I-485 cases under family-based adjustment applications filed in Phoenix. After a person completes a medical exam, the civil surgeon or panel physician provides the applicant with a completed Form I-693 in a sealed envelope and a copy for their own records.

An enveloped form cannot be opened or placed in a new envelope because USCIS does not accept Form I-693s if the envelopes are opened or altered in any way. Applicants must submit sealed Form I-693s to USCIS because doctors do not provide copies to USCIS.

Applicants residing inside the United States can submit Form I-693 alongside the initial Form I-485. Where people file I-485s depends on their eligibility category.

Applicants residing outside the country must turn to the medical office that requested the examination to provide instructions about how to submit the envelope. USCIS clarifies when to submit Form I-693.

Call Us Today to Speak with a Phoenix Immigration Attorney

If you have concerns about completing I-693 and getting your green card, do not wait another moment to get legal help so you can start working towards your goals. Diamondback Legal has a wealth of experience in all kinds of immigration cases, so we know the best ways to move forward with almost every kind of case.

Our firm makes itself available to clients 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call (602) 584-8938 or contact us online today to schedule a free consultation with our Phoenix immigration attorney.