USCIS Revises Policy Guidance on Validity Period of Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record
As of November 1, 2018, USCIS is revising policy guidance for the validity period of Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record. The updated policy, which goes into effect on Nov. 1, 2018, will require applicants to submit a Form I-693 that is signed by a civil surgeon no more than 60 days before filing the underlying application for an immigration benefit. The Form I-693 would remain valid for a two-year period following the date the civil surgeon signed it.
Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record is used by USCIS Immigration Officers to determine whether an applicant for an immigration benefit in the United States is inadmissible under the health-related grounds of inadmissibility. Officers will still have the discretion, as they have always had, to request a new Form I-693 if they have reason to believe an applicant may be inadmissible on the health-related grounds.
Visa Bulletin for November 2018
The November 2018 Visa Bulletin has been released, but the cutoff dates in the final action (FA) chart for the vast majority of employment-based categories remain unchanged from the October 2018 Visa Bulletin. There is absolutely no change in the dates for filing (DF) chart from last month. The latest Visa Bulletin also includes notes on the extension of the EB-4 Category for Religious Workers and the EB-5 Category for Regional Center program until December 07, 2018.
USCIS has also confirmed the Dates for Filing (DF) chart is to be used for all family- and employment-based categories. Thus, in November, USCIS will continue to accept family based and employment-based adjustment applications from foreign nationals with a priority date that is earlier than the “Dates for Filing” listed in the November Visa Bulletin.