How to Find a Doctor for USCIS

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If you’ve submitted Form I-485 to apply for immigration or adjust your immigration status, you’ll have to undergo a medical examination. It aims to review your medical history and perform a physical examination. USCIS is authorized to appoint civil surgeons to perform medical examinations, and you can also find a doctor yourself.

How to Find a Doctor for USCIS

Thanks to an enhanced USCIS locator tool, it allows you to find local doctors who are authorized to conduct medical exams. The tool can be accessed online at any time using your smartphone, so you can easily find them near your location. Okay, let’s see how to use it below!

Finding a Doctor for the USCIS Medical Examination: Here’s How!

It’s safe to use the USCIS location tool to find a local doctor nearby for a USCIS medical exam since they only show the list of doctors authorized by USCIS who are known as civil surgeons. They are responsible for reviewing the applicant’s medical history, conducting a physical exam, and conducting specific tests, including blood tests and screening for some infectious diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), gonorrhea, sifilis, etc.

Here’s how to do so!

    • First, visit the “Find a Doctor” locator tool here ⇒ uscis.gov/tools/find-a-civil-surgeon
    • Once there, you’ll need to enter your address, city, state, or ZIP code in the available bar to look for a doctor based on distance.
    • You can also filter your search by choosing the language spoken and the doctor’s gender.
    • After entering your address, you can then click “Search.”
    • Then, a list of doctors or clinics near your location will automatically appear underneath.
    • From the list, you can select which doctor or clinic is best for you to undergo a USCIS medical examination.

Usually, every doctor or clinic will provide their contact information, such as a website, phone number, and email. Of course, you can make an appointment a few days before to avoid being full of patients.

To make it easier for you to reach the doctor or clinic, you can take advantage of the “get directions” link, which is usually available in the description. It will direct you from your initial position until you arrive at the clinic. It can also help you find local transportation.

Of course, you do not have to worry if the doctor you found nearby is no longer practicing or even not relevant to what you’re looking for, since civil surgeons designated by USCIS are required to notify USCIS if there is something to update within 15 days of any changes, such as:

    • They cease to practice medicine.
    • They cease to conduct immigration medical examinations in the state where they are appointed.
    • Their medical license is restricted, and/or the civil surgeon is subject to any disciplinary action.
    • They want to add new office locations.
    • There may be a change in their contact information, such as the name of the clinic, address, phone number, email address, or fax number.

Who is Eligible to Conduct Medical Examinations for USCIS?

In addition to appointing civilian surgeons to perform immigration medical examinations, USCIS also designates military doctors as civilian surgeons to conduct immigrant medical examinations in military care facilities in the United States for members of the US military, US veterans, and designated dependents. However, some applicants for adjustment of status will only be required to undergo the vaccination portion of the immigration medical exam.

Even though refugee applicants can also visit their local health facilities to find a health department-designated civil surgeon, they may not find them since they will not be found on the USCIS list of civil surgeons; they are instead designated to perform the entire examination or a portion of it.

For immigration medical examinations that are performed outside the United States and its territories, these should be conducted by a panel physician. We need to know that panel physicians are different from civil surgeons since they are designated by the Department of State.

In this case, panel physicians perform immigration medical examinations, which are required as part of visa processing at a U.S. Embassy or consulate abroad. Of course, they cannot conduct the examination for applicants who are applying for an adjustment of status with USCIS.

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