The Un-Civil Surgeon

[Researcher]

 


         Recently I posted my AOS interview experience and mentioned the medical exam my wife took.This exam was given by a civil surgeon that was on the USCIS’s list. We showed up for the appointment on time and are called back for my wife’s tests. After all this is done we end up in the examination room waiting on the doctor.After about 30 minutes he comes in the room. He looks at me, looks at my wife and says “is this your father?” We laugh and I like to joke myself so I said “no, I’m her grandfather.” We laugh again and the doctor continues with asking me how did I ever talk my wife into marrying me. I said “you know pity goes a long way, she felt sorry for me.” Everything was in good fun until the doctor made a classic “faux pas”. He turns to my wife and asks “where are you from?” and she answers “Colombia”. His response was “you aren’t going to be smuggling drugs into the US are you?”. There was silence. I could tell by the look on my wife’s face that she didn’t like that comment, not at all. The doctor was looking at the both of us as if he was wondering why the laughter had stopped. Normally, I nor my wife  would have let something like that go but this guy was the only doctor we could get an appointment with before the interview and we had to travel a couple of hours to get there. I remember when my wife found out what the Colombian doctor charged for the embassy medical. She pretty much called the doctor a thief to her face.
            I figured I’d better say something so I said “oh, she didn’t understand you, she’s still working on her English.” The civil surgeon finished his exam, gave us some paperwork and we checked out. Later, we were going home my wife told me that she understood what the doctor had said and that she didn’t like it. I told her that I could tell but I thought it would be best to just get through the exam and leave. She agreed.
             I had tried to prepare her for these type of situations. I think that helped but most Colombians I know are proud of their country and she was pretty insulted. It is good to keep in mind that its best not to joke about things like that. I think it is good to prepare your lady for situations like this.
              I wish my wife would have responded to the comment made by the doctor. She told me later that she was going to say “some drugs come from Colombia, but most of them are brought here to the US where people use them.”
           

 Researcher

[Maria]

Well I lost count of the amount of times I have had someone make a silly comment like that.  I was 8 when I heard from an American lady the words " Oh from Colombia the world drug capital" TO what my response was " yea we sell it all to this country" and my most resent one at a sushi restaurant in Arizona 2 years ago,where a man in my table ordered something with similar name to "Escobar" and turned to me and said : " It sounds like the name of your county's drug lord...do you think it has coke in it?" My answer was " I guess that is why it sounds appealing enough for you to order it ".

Yeah sometimes you can't help not responding but at times one has to just keep quiet. I bet that Latin blood was burning...


FL

 

[Ray]

Question: Why did she have another medical exam? Did they lose her medical exam report from her visa medical?

If the medical exam report indicates that all vaccination requirements are complete, then that’s all she needs. Otherwise, she will need to get any required vaccinations though a panel physician, but not another complete medical exam if it has been less than one year between the medical and the AOS filing date.

Also, the physician doing her overseas medical should have given her a copy of the Vaccination Documentation Worksheet (Form DS-3025). All visa applicants should request a copy of this form at the time of the medical exam, or when the vaccinations are administered if done separately from the medical.

Ray

[soltero]

Question: Why did she have another medical exam? Did they lose her medical exam report from her visa medical?

If the medical exam report indicates that all vaccination requirements are complete, then that’s all she needs. Otherwise, she will need to get any required vaccinations though a panel physician, but not another complete medical exam if it has been less than one year between the medical and the AOS filing date.

Also, the physician doing her overseas medical should have given her a copy of the Vaccination Documentation Worksheet (Form DS-3025). All visa applicants should request a copy of this form at the time of the medical exam, or when the vaccinations are administered if done separately from the medical.

Ray

My ex was also given a full exam even though she had her complete exam for the visa no more than 3 months prior. I remember thinking it was ridiculous, but it became obvious that they just wanted the money as they continued on despite the fact tha we had all the paperwork.

[utopiacowboy]

If they previously had a full exam within the year, the Civil Surgeon just has to fill out a supplement. I had to spend some time showing the doctor printouts that I had made from the USCIS site in order to get him to do just a supplement.

[Researcher]

     The IO was in training, she didn't even know what a K3 visa was. I'm glad we had the I-693.

[Ray]

     The IO was in training, she didn't even know what a K3 visa was. I'm glad we had the I-693.

That's why she got another medical exam, because some trainee siad so?

Perhaps you should have given that “trainee” some OJT and shown her the law:

8 CFR part 245 section 5 (245.5)

“A medical examination shall not be required of an applicant for adjustment of status who entered the United States as a nonimmigrant spouse, fiance, or fiancee of a United States citizen or the child of such an alien as defined in section 101(a)(15)(K) of the Act and § 214.2(k) of this chapter if the applicant was medically examined prior to, and as a condition of, the issuance of the nonimmigrant visa; provided that the medical examination must have occurred not more than 1 year prior the date of application for adjustment of status.”

No matter what some dumb trainee tells you, you don’t need another medical!

Ray

[Researcher]

        I'm with you on this one Ray. But it wasn't just the trainee.The  interview letter had a list of things to bring to the interview one of which was: A completed medical examination (Form I-693) and vaccination supplement in a sealed envelope.

         I saw this on the checklist and I also read the very same paragraph you posted. Here's the thing. Some of the immigration folks don't even know their own rules. When we applied for the K3 we sent in the I-130 and the I-129F.The rule is if you send in both you only need to pay the filing fee for the I-130, which I did. I got a rejection for those applications because they said I didn't pay the fee for the I-129F. This rejection cost us several weeks of waiting time and it wasn't our fault.I didn't have to pay the I-129F filing fee but we  had to wait longer for a mistake they had made.

        Now, I have ran across some very nice and helpful people that work at immigration but I have also met some that were completely clueless. My approach is that I assume ALL immigration workers are ill-tempered morons.I'm not always right but I am surprised at how many times I have been correct.

  Researcher

[Ray]

The  interview letter had a list of things to bring to the interview one of which was: A completed medical examination (Form I-693) and vaccination supplement in a sealed envelope.

OK, now I understand. That is a problem because many of those form letters they send out with the AOS appointment packages automatically include the medical exam as a requirement when it isn't applicable to K-visa holders.

Some folks will get the exam just to be safe but there really is no need for it. If she got all of her required immunizations along with her medical exam, then she doesn't need the supplement either. The DS-2053 report will state that all immunizations were completed and that's all she needs. Unfortunately, some guys have had to point that out to ignorant CIS employees during the AOS interview.

Occasionally, the medical report doesn't make it into the brown envelope at the embassy or it gets lost somewhere along the way, in which case you may really have no choice but to get another medical.

Ray

[Researcher]

OK, now I understand. That is a problem because many of those form letters they send out with the AOS appointment packages automatically include the medical exam as a requirement when it isn't applicable to K-visa holders.

Some folks will get the exam just to be safe but there really is no need for it. If she got all of her required immunizations along with her medical exam, then she doesn't need the supplement either. The DS-2053 report will state that all immunizations were completed and that's all she needs. Unfortunately, some guys have had to point that out to ignorant CIS employees during the AOS interview.

Occasionally, the medical report doesn't make it into the brown envelope at the embassy or it gets lost somewhere along the way, in which case you may really have no choice but to get another medical.

Ray

 


              Ray,
               The embassy medical report not making it there was another reason we decided to get the other exam. There are several posts on visajourney.com where this is discussed. The general feeling is that these things happen and if you don't want to take the chance of having to do the I-693 after the interview then it is best to get it done beforehand. There were several things I had to point out to this IO.Rather than having to train her myself I just handed her the envelope.


  Researcher

[Researcher]

Yeah sometimes you can't help not responding but at times one has to just keep quiet. I bet that Latin blood was burning...


FL

 

       FL,
               I'm just glad the nurse had already taken her blood pressure!

       Researcher

[Ray]

 
The general feeling is that these things happen and if you don't want to take the chance of having to do the I-693 after the interview then it is best to get it done beforehand.

That's fine, but there is another danger that must be considered.

What if something shows up in the second medical exam that medically disqualifies her from adjusting status? If she already has a completed medical exam and she passed with no problems, then why tempt fate by doing another unnecessary procedure?

Personally, I wouldn't put my wife through that bad experience that you guys had unless it was absolutely necessary. My recommendation to anyone else with a K-visa doing the AOS would be to ignore any requests for a medical exam with the appointment letter until and unless you are told that her medical report is not in her file and you need another one. I think those cases are rare enough to not have to be overly concerned about it.

Just offering some alternative ideas...

Ray

[Researcher]

 Ray,
   I thought about that also.The doctor gave us a copy along with the one in the sealed envelope. Everything was fine but if there is something that shows up bad from the tests, not being approved may be the least of your worries.

  Researcher