There is a new rule being introduced by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to which the Immigrants in the US need to be aware of.
US Introduced New Rules For Immigrants
Because this new USCIS rule will be applicable to all foreigners who need to submit ‘Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status’ while in the US.
It appears that the USCIS Policy Manual has been updated to clarify that a Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, signed by a civil surgeon on or after November 1, 2023, is only valid while the application the Form I-693 was submitted with is pending.
The Form I-693 will no longer be valid if the application a Form I-693 was submitted with is withdrawn or denied.
Please note here that this guidance is effective immediately and applies to all the applications pending or filed on or after June 11, 2025.
Consider a case, if a foreigner submitted Form I-693 with their Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, and then they withdrew their Form I-485 or USCIS denied it, then if they submit a future Form I-485, they must submit a newly completed Form I-693 signed by a civil surgeon, as per this updated policy.
Getting Lawful Permanent Resident Status
In case you are in the United States then form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, is used to apply for lawful permanent resident status.
Here mentioned adjustment of status is the process which can be used to apply for lawful permanent resident status (also known as applying for a Green Card) in the United States.
This simply means that individuals may get a Green Card without having to return to your home country to complete the visa processing.
In case of the saveral foreigners who are subjected to health-related grounds of inadmissibility, they must have an immigration medical examination to demonstrate they are not inadmissible.
In a general scenario, a foreigner applying to adjust status must submit Form I-693 to showcase that they are free from any conditions that would render them inadmissible under the health-related grounds of inadmissibility.
On April 4, 2024, the USCIS Policy Manual was updated to provide that a Form I-693 properly completed and signed by a civil surgeon on or after November 1, 2023, was valid indefinitely.
In such cases, a foreigner is allowed to use that Form I-693 as evidence that they were not inadmissible on health-related grounds for any future immigration benefit application.
Following this development, USCIS published a requirement that aliens submit Form I-693 when they file Form I-485 on December 2, 2024.
According to USCIS, the April 4, 2024, policy is overly broad and could potentially threaten public health in the United States.
So, USCIS ensures that foreigners get timely and proper medical examinations and treatment, which safeguards public health by limiting the validity period to only the current immigration benefit application or request.
