Immigration Medical Articles

How the Civil Surgeon System Evolved

From the Marine Hospital Service to USCIS: The History of the Civil Surgeon Designation

How a 19th-century backup role for immigrant medical exams became today’s USCIS civil surgeon system...

Sourcing, Cost & Reimbursement

Group Purchasing Organizations: A Cost-Cutting Option for Civil Surgeon Practices

How GPOs work, how much they can cut supply costs, and whether a solo or small civil surgeon practic...

Finding a Civil Surgeon

Choosing a Civil Surgeon Near Me: What Actually Matters Beyond Price

Multiple approved civil surgeons near you? Here is what actually separates them once price is off th...

Ellis Island & Inspection History

The Six-Second Medical Exam at Ellis Island: Chalk Marks, Buttonhooks, and What Inspectors Looked For

How Ellis Island’s six-second medical exam worked: the chalk-mark letter codes inspectors used and t...

I-485 & Adjustment of Status Basics

Where Form I-693 Fits Into Your I-485 Filing Timeline

How the medical exam packet slots into your I-485 filing sequence, from scheduling to the day USCIS...

Exam Cost & What's Included

Does Insurance Cover Your Immigration Medical Exam? What to Know Before You Pay

Why the I-693 civil surgeon fee is almost never billable to insurance, what parts of the exam someti...

Exam Cost & What's Included

Why Your Civil Surgeon Quote Might Not Be the Final Price

The quoted I-693 exam fee often excludes vaccines, x-rays, and follow-ups. Here is what commonly get...

PPE & Infection Control

Red Bag Waste Rules: How a Civil Surgeon Clinic Sorts Regulated Medical Waste

Not everything from a screening exam belongs in the trash can or the sharps container. Here’s how a...

Communicable Diseases of Public Health Significance

The Rare STIs Still Listed on Your I-693: Chancroid, Granuloma Inguinale, and LGV

Chancroid, granuloma inguinale, and LGV are rare in the U.S. today, but they remain named grounds of...

TB Testing: Skin Test vs IGRA

Why Age Determines Which TB Test You Get on Your I-693 Immigration Medical Exam

USCIS TB screening for Form I-693 depends on age: most applicants get an IGRA blood draw, young chil...

RFE & Form Rejection Help

The I-693 RFE Deadline: How Much Time You Actually Have to Respond

USCIS gives up to 87 days to respond to an I-693 RFE, but the clock starts at mailing. Here’s what t...

Do I Need a Lawyer for Adjustment of Status

Marriage-Based Adjustment of Status: When Your Case Needs an Attorney

Marriage-based green card cases face extra USCIS scrutiny. Here’s when that scrutiny means you shoul...