USCIS: Applicants Subject to Immigration Medical Examination Must Be Fully Vaccinated From October 1

All immigrant visa applicants who are subject to the immigration medical examination must be fully vaccinated against the Coronavirus starting from October 1, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services has confirmed.

According to the USCIS announcement, before the surgical expert completes an immigration medical examination, applicants must be immunized against the virus, as well as sign Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, VisaGuide.World reports.

The government agency has clarified that it is updating its policy guidance following the update of the August 17 made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to Technical Instructions for Civil Surgeons.

“That update requires applicants subject to the immigration medical examination to complete the COVID-19 vaccine series (one or two doses, depending on the vaccine) and provide documentation of vaccination to the civil surgeon before completion of the immigration medical examination,” the statement published by USCIS reads.

All persons filing an application in order to become a permanent resident of the US in a lawful way are required to undergo a medical examination in order to prove that they do not pose a public risk in terms of the Coronavirus infection.

“USCIS designates eligible physicians as civil surgeons to perform this immigration medical examination for applicants within the United States and to document the results of the immigration medical examination on the Form I-693,” the statement reads.

The USCIS latest decision came as an additional preventive measure taken in a bid to halt the Coronavirus further spread, as the territory continues to be profoundly affected by the virus, especially from the Delta and Mu variants.

Based on the data provided by the World Health Organization, there have been a total of 163,311 new COVID-19 infection cases recorded in the United States in the last 24 hours and a total of 2,222 deaths.

The same source reveals that since the start of the pandemic, a total of 41,229,421 persons tested positive for the Coronavirus in the United States, while a total of 659 336 people have died.

Recently, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that unvaccinated persons would not be allowed to apply for lawful permanent residence, starting from the next month.

The decision was taken by the US authorities in order to stop the rapid spread of the Coronavirus and its new strains.

The CDC stressed that green card applicants who have been immunized with vaccines that are not considered valid proof of immunity would not be permitted to apply for the green card.

Authorities in the United States clarified that only vaccines manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) are considered valid proof of immunity.

Recently, the United States Congress is taking into consideration a $3.5 trillion that would make a significant investment in several areas. According to such a plan, applicants who have a priority date of over two years can adjust to permanent residence without any additional requirements or restrictions if they pay a fee of $5,000.

On the other hand, for holders of investment visas or the EB-5 category, the price for a visa is proposed to be $50,000.