USCIS relaxes 60-day medical examination rule for green card applicants

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will temporarily waive the requirement that the civil surgeons sign Form I-693 (Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record) within 60 days of filing an application for adjustment of status to that of a lawful permanent resident. This temporary waiver is effective from the date of announcement – December 9 and will continue until September 30, 2022.

Earlier, medical examinations that were signed more than 60 days before filing were considered as expired by USCIS, and applicants had to obtain and pay for another examination.

“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and related processing delays, USCIS has experienced delays in all aspects of operations. Applicants have also experienced difficulties beyond their control, including delays with completing the immigration medical examination… To address these issues, USCIS is temporarily waiving the requirement that the civil surgeon’s signature be dated no more than 60 days before the applicant files the application for the underlying immigration benefit,” states a release.

However, it should be noted that effective October 1, 2021, applicants are required to comply with Covid-19 vaccine related obligations and provide the requisite documents to the civil surgeon in person.