USCIS Increases Validity Period of Medical Examination Forms
Details on the New Policy
The new policy extends the validity of civil surgeon signatures on Form I-693 and applies to both new and previously filed cases. As a result, if a pending case has a Form I-693 with a civil surgeon’s signature that is older than 60 days at the time of filing, it will not be considered invalid anymore. Therefore, the USCIS will not request new medical examination evidence (RFE), since the form I-693 now remains valid for up to two years from the date the civil surgeon signed it.
If an applicant’s immigrant category priority date retrogresses during the processing of their application for adjustment of status (Form I-485), it can cause a delay in the processing time. In such cases, the initial validity of the I-693 form included with the application may expire before the USCIS resumes processing the I-485. As a result, the USCIS is required to issue an RFE, requesting a new I-693 from the applicant, which causes unnecessary delays and additional expenses.
However, the new policy now extends the validity of an applicant’s I-693 form for two years from the date of the civil surgeon’s signature, reducing the chances of an RFE being issued on this matter. This will ultimately minimize delays and expenses for adjustment applicants.
How We Can Help
We anticipate this updated policy to alleviate some of the burden of submitting documents to USCIS by extending the validity period. If you have questions about how this new policy change affects your current or previously filed case, please feel free to reach out to our team!
