Form I-693 (Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record) is how USCIS confirms that you meet the health requirements to adjust your status. This guide is about exam day itself: what to bring, how the visit goes and what happens next.
Who needs Form I-693?
Mainly people applying for permanent residence from inside the United States with Form I-485. Some other applications also require it; the instructions for each form on uscis.gov say whether it applies to you. If in doubt, check with your attorney or representative before taking the exam.
What do I bring on exam day?
- Photo ID that hasn't expired: a passport, driver's license or state ID card.
- Your vaccination card or records, from your home country or from here. Spanish-language records are fine.
- A list of your medications and past illnesses or surgeries.
- Previous tuberculosis results if you were ever treated.
- Your glasses or hearing aids, if you rely on them.
- Your A-Number, if USCIS has already assigned you one.
Don't sign the form before you arrive: it is signed in front of the doctor.
How does the visit go, step by step?
- Check-in and document review. Your identity is confirmed and your vaccines are reviewed.
- Medical history. Questions about illnesses, hospital stays, mental health and alcohol or drug use. Answer honestly: it is a medical evaluation, not an interrogation.
- General physical exam.
- Sample collection. Blood for the tuberculosis test (IGRA) and for the tests the CDC requires for your age; in some cases, urine as well.
- Vaccines. Any doses you are missing for your age are given.
Which vaccines might I need?
It depends on your age and what you already have. The CDC list includes, among others, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), tetanus and diphtheria with pertussis, polio, varicella, hepatitis B and, in season, influenza. If you are missing one, it is given at the same visit. The full table is in the vaccination section of the CDC instructions.
What happens after the visit?
Once all the lab results are in, the doctor completes and signs the I-693. If something comes back abnormal, such as a positive tuberculosis test, a chest X-ray or further evaluation may be needed before the form can be finished. The form is delivered as current USCIS instructions require; if you receive it in a sealed envelope, do not open it, or USCIS may reject it.
How long is it valid?
USCIS sets a time limit between the doctor's signature and your filing. Those rules have changed in recent years, so confirm the current limit on the I-693 page and plan the exam date with your attorney.
Where to do it in southeast Houston?
At Clínica Hispana Nueva Salud, 7640 Bellfort Ave Suite A (77061), we do the I-693 exam with a USCIS-authorized physician, plus the tuberculosis test, blood work and vaccines at the same clinic, all explained in Spanish. If you are still choosing a doctor, read what a civil surgeon is and how to verify one. Walk-ins welcome every day, 9 AM to 9 PM; phone and WhatsApp (832) 831-4016.
