USCIS recently issued a guidance on the permanent removal requirement that the civil surgeon’s signature on the Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record (Form I-693) be dated no more than 60 days before an applicant file for the underlying immigration benefit. USCIS is now removing this requirement permanently.
In general, noncitizens applying for certain immigration benefits while in the United States must use Form I-693 to show they are free from any conditions that would render them inadmissible under the health-related grounds.
Applicants, civil surgeons, USCIS officers, federal partners, and other stakeholders have consistently expressed concern that this requirement is confusing and necessitates Requests for Evidence (RFEs) to be issued for otherwise valid Forms I693. While the 60-day rule was intended to enhance operational efficiency and reduce the need to request updated Forms I-693 from applicants, in practice these efficiencies have not been realized.
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