If you’re immigrating to the United States, you need to undergo an immigration physical to ensure that you’re healthy and you don’t have any problems that could affect the people around you. Not every doctor can perform an immigration physical; you have to be specially certified.
At Associates in Family Medicine in Clairemont, San Diego, California, Dr. Mahshid M. Hamidi has extensive experience performing immigration physicals. In addition, she has officially been designated Civil Surgeon for the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) since 2001. She knows what paperwork needs to be filed and how to properly document the results of your exam to ensure there are no problems.
Here’s what she has to say about ways you can prepare for your exam.
When you come into Associates in Family Medicine for your immigration exam, you first give us the paperwork you’ve brought with you so we can document your visit and the doctor can fill out all the necessary sections that indicate the results she finds.
Then comes the medical portion of the exam, which includes both blood and urine tests for a number of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) based on your age, especially one for syphilis; a blood test for tuberculosis; and possibly a chest X-ray, depending on what the TB blood test reveals.
The physical also includes an examination of multiple body parts, including the eyes, ears, nose, throat, extremities, heart, lungs, abdomen, lymph nodes, and skin.
This exam isn’t a replacement for an annual physical exam, nor is it meant to be. Its purpose is simply to screen for certain medical conditions applicable to US immigration law. The doctor isn’t obligated to examine you for any conditions other than those the US Public Health Service specifies for US immigration purposes.
Here are four things you should prepare to bring with you to the exam:
This should be your complete medical history. It includes documentation, if you have any chronic or serious medical/mental health conditions, that any you have are under control and do not pose a threat to others, as well as any vaccines you’ve received.
If you need to get vaccinated for any condition, make an appointment with a county immunization office, where you can receive low-cost vaccines. The closest one to the Associates in Family Medicine office is San Diego County North Central Regional Center in San Diego.
This is used for identification purposes.
We use this to verify that you’re here for an immigration exam and that you’re to be evaluated by the doctor.
Form I-693 is the Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record. Dr. Hamidi fills it out with her report of her findings during the physical. This document is extremely important, as the physical cannot be completed without it. Our office will provide and complete Form I-693 for you during your appointment.
If you need an immigration physical, Associates in Family Medicine can help you with the exam and associated paperwork. Give us a call at 858-565-6394 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Hamidi, or send us a message online. We also accept telehealth appointments for other medical matters.
