Who needs Form I-693?
You need Form I-693 if you are applying for a green card from inside the United States by filing Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. Some applicants who already had a medical exam abroad only need the vaccination record. People applying for a green card from abroad, for citizenship, or for a temporary visa do not file an I-693.
Cases that require a full Form I-693
Almost every adjustment of status application. The category of your green card does not change the medical requirement:
- Family-based green cards, including spouses, parents and children of U.S. citizens, and relatives of permanent residents.
- Marriage-based green cards filed from inside the U.S.
- Employment-based green cards, such as EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3, when you adjust status in the U.S.
- Diversity Visa (lottery) winners who adjust status inside the U.S.
- Asylees applying for a green card one year after being granted asylum.
- Special immigrants and other categories that file Form I-485.
Every applicant needs their own form, including children and each family member listed as a derivative on the same case.
Cases that only need the vaccination record
If you already had an immigration medical exam with a panel physician abroad, USCIS may only need the vaccination part of Form I-693, completed by a civil surgeon. This applies to:
| Who | When the partial form applies |
|---|---|
| Refugees | You had the overseas exam before admission as a refugee. |
| Derivative asylees (Form I-730) | You had the overseas exam and apply for the green card within one year of becoming eligible. |
| K-1, K-2, K-3 and K-4 visa holders | Your overseas exam was no more than one year before you file the I-485, and the vaccination record was not properly completed during that exam. |
| Afghan nationals paroled under Operation Allies Welcome | Under the same vaccination-record condition. |
A new full exam may still be needed if the overseas exam found a serious (Class A) condition, or if one may have developed since you arrived.
Cases that do not use Form I-693
- Consular processing. If you are applying for an immigrant visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad, a State Department panel physician examines you there. That exam does not use Form I-693.
- Citizenship (Form N-400). Naturalization has no medical exam.
- Green card renewal or replacement (Form I-90).
- Removing conditions on residence (Form I-751 or I-829).
- Temporary visas, such as extending or changing H-1B, F-1, B-2 or other nonimmigrant status.
Adjustment of status in immigration court
If you are adjusting status before an immigration judge rather than with USCIS, the medical exam is still done by a civil surgeon, but follow the instructions from the court or the office that asked for it.
I need one. What next?
Work out what your exam will require before you go. Vaccines and lab tests differ by age, and records you already have can cover some of them. Read when to file Form I-693 and which vaccine records count, or get the list for your age below.
Sources: USCIS, Form I-693; USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 8, Part B, Chapter 4.
General information about USCIS Form I-693, not medical or legal advice. Requirements are set by USCIS and the CDC and can change.