A USCIS Civil Surgeon is a physician designated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to conduct medical examinations required for immigrants seeking to adjust their status to permanent residency (i.e., obtain a Green Card) in the United States. These medical exams ensure that applicants do not have any health conditions that would make them inadmissible to the U.S., such as communicable diseases, mental health issues posing a threat, or substance abuse problems. To become a USCIS-designated Civil Surgeon, a physician must meet the following criteria:

1. Be a licensed medical doctor (M.D.) or doctor of osteopathy (D.O.) in the state where the exam will take place.

2. Have at least four years of professional experience in their field (beyond training and residency).

3. Must be approved by the Department of Homeland Security.

Civil Surgeons are responsible for performing the medical examination, completing Form I-693 (Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record), and ensuring the applicant meets vaccination requirements and is free of communicable diseases. The results are given to the applicant in a sealed envelope. It is submitted by the applicant to USCIS or their attorney as a part of the immigration application process.

This form is required if you are applying to become a legal permanent resident of the U.S. The purpose of this form is to confirm that you are not inadmissible to the United States on public health reasons.

The medical examination is now valid for two years from the date it is signed by the Civil Surgeon. However, the vaccination portion of the exam is typically valid for a lifetime unless USCIS updates its vaccination requirements or if additional vaccines are needed.

In order to get an adjustment of status to permanent resident, also known as a green card, an immigrant to the United States is required to meet certain medical standards. The I-693 is used to make sure that an applicant does not have a communicable disease that is a significant risk to public health, has the required vaccinations, is not a drug addict or drug abuser and does not have a physical or mental disorder involving behavior that may be threatening to the safety of the applicant and others.

No, your personal doctor cannot complete the medical exam for immigration purposes. The examination must be done by a Doctor who is designated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). USCIS designates certain Doctors (known as Civil Surgeons) to perform the immigration medical examination required for green card/adjustment of status applicants.

The original signed and completed form will be put in a sealed envelope for you to submit to USCIS. You will receive a copy of the completed I-693 for your personal records.

It is important that you DO NOT open or damage this envelope in any way, as you must submit Form I-693 in a sealed envelope as given to you by the Civil Surgeon to ensure it's authenticity. USCIS will only accept an envelope that is sealed, unopened and not tampered with in anyway.

It is possible in some cases to be granted a waiver for the vaccine
requirements based on religious or moral beliefs, but this is a separate application process. If you want to apply for such a waiver, you should check with USCIS to obtain a waiver application.