Anyone applying for permanent residence from inside the United States will sooner or later be asked for Form I-693, the report of the immigration medical exam. USCIS accepts it only with the signature of a physician it has designated for the job, a Civil Surgeon. A physician can be excellent and still lack that designation; if they sign, the form is worthless.
Verifying the designation takes two minutes
USCIS runs a public search tool at my.uscis.gov/findadoctor.
- Enter your home or work ZIP code (77072 covers the Alief and Sharpstown area, for example).
- Check the doctor's name and the exact office address.
- If a clinic calls itself "authorized", ask for the name of the physician who will sign and look that person up yourself.
The designation is personal: it belongs to the doctor, not the building. That's why it pays to confirm who will see you.
What the I-693 exam covers
The content is set by the CDC Technical Instructions for Civil Surgeons, so it is the same at any office nationwide:
- History and physical exam, including mental health and substance use.
- Tuberculosis: usually a blood test from age 2 on.
- Syphilis and gonorrhea, with blood and urine tests in the age ranges the CDC specifies.
- Vaccinations: the doctor compares your record against the list for your age and notes any that are missing.
Lab tests take a few days. The form is handed over complete once every result is in.
What to bring on exam day
- Passport or another photo ID.
- Your vaccination card or records, including those from your home country, even if they're in Spanish. Every documented shot is one you won't have to repeat.
- A medication list and, if you have a chronic condition, recent medical reports.
- Glasses or contact lenses if you wear them.
- If you've had a positive TB test before, that report or chest X-ray.
Mistakes that hold up a Green Card
- Getting the exam too early. USCIS limits how much time can pass between the doctor's signature and filing your application, and that rule has changed in recent years. Read the current one at uscis.gov/i-693 before booking.
- Opening the envelope. If the doctor hands it to you sealed, it must reach USCIS that way; opened, it gets rejected.
- Mismatched details. Your name and date of birth must be written exactly as in the rest of your file.
- Showing up without vaccine records and ending up repeating doses you already had.
The exam at Clínica Hispana Cruz 4
Our clinic has a USCIS-designated physician for the I-693 immigration exam. What that means for you:
- We walk you through each part of the form, and every result, in Spanish or English.
- Samples are drawn in our own lab during the same visit.
- We review your vaccines and tell you plainly which ones are missing before signing.
- We see patients all week, weekends included, at Suite 240, 10100 Beechnut St. Walk in, or call (281) 588-0033 to ask about the price and what your case requires.
If your attorney or form preparer gave you specific instructions, bring them and we'll go over them together.
This guide is for information only and is not immigration legal advice.
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