The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has introduced a significant policy update concerning the validity of Form I-693, the Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, which is required for green card applications.
Effective Wednesday, June 11, 2025, Form I-693 reports signed by a certified physician on or after November 1, 2023, will only remain valid for the duration that the associated green card application (Form I-485) is under processing. Under this new regulation, if a green card application is withdrawn or denied, the accompanying Form I-693 will automatically become invalid. Applicants must then undergo a new medical examination and submit a fresh Form I-693 with any subsequent application.
Previously, on April 4, 2024, USCIS had implemented a policy allowing Form I-693 reports signed on or after November 1, 2023, to remain valid indefinitely. This permitted applicants to reuse existing medical reports for new applications if their initial green card application was denied. However, following a review, USCIS concluded that the indefinite validity of these reports posed potential public health risks due to its overly broad nature. Consequently, the agency has revoked this previous policy.
“The April 4, 2024, policy is overly broad and could potentially threaten public health in the United States. By limiting the validity period to only the current immigration benefit application or request, we ensure that aliens get timely and proper medical examinations and treatment, which safeguards public health,” said USCIS.
Since December 2, 2024, USCIS has mandated that Form I-693 be submitted concurrently with Form I-485, eliminating the earlier flexibility to provide the medical report later in the process.
Additionally, starting January 22, 2025, the Trump administration removed the requirement for green card applicants to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination as part of Form I-693. This overturned a Biden administration policy, effective October 1, 2021, which had made COVID-19 vaccination mandatory. Since January 2025, USCIS has also stopped issuing Requests for Evidence (RFEs) or Notices of Intent to Deny (NOIDs) solely for missing COVID-19 vaccination documentation, clarifying that applications will not be denied on this basis.
“Most aliens subject to health-related grounds of inadmissibility must have an immigration medical examination to demonstrate they are not inadmissible. In general, aliens applying to adjust status must submit Form I-693 to show they are free from any conditions that would render them inadmissible under the health-related grounds of inadmissibility,” USCIS stated.
USCIS also noted,”We may require an alien who would otherwise not be required to undergo an immigration medical examination to submit a Form I-693 as a matter of discretion, if the evidence indicates that there may be a public health concern.”
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Suresh Shahi
View More PostsSuresh Shahi is the editor of NepYork, the showcase of Nepalis in the USA. He has also been an editor of Khasokhas, the voice of the Nepali diaspora in the USA, since 2012. Currently, he hosts the podcast ‘Community Cornerstone.’ Previously, he served as a host, anchor, and news reporter for ABC TV Nepal.
