Original Date Announced
October 16, 2018USCIS issued a policy alert notifying the public that it is updating the USCIS Policy Manual regarding the period of time during which a Form I-693 submitted in support of a related immigration benefits application is considered valid. Specifically, USCIS is updating the way the current maximum 2-year validity period is calculated. Form I-693 is now valid only when a civil surgeon signs it no more than 60 days before the date an applicant files the application for the underlying immigration benefit and when USCIS adjudicates the application within 2 years from the date of the civil surgeon’s signature. [ID #634]
USCIS Policy Alert 2018-09Effective Date
November 1, 2018Biden Administration Action: Modified
August 12, 20212021.08.12 USCIS Temporarily Extending Validity Period of Form I-693.pdf
This Biden administration action modifies the Trump-era policy identified in this entry.
On August 12, 2021, USCIS announced that due to COVID-19-related processing delays, they are extending the validity period of Form I-693 from two years to four years. This is a temporary extension. Specifically, USCIS may consider a completed Form I-693 as valid if:
- The civil surgeon’s signature is dated no more than 60 days before the applicant filed Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status;
- No more than four years have passed since the date of the civil surgeon’s signature; and
- A decision on the applicant’s Form I-485 is issued on or before Sept. 30, 2021.
Biden Administration Action: Modified
December 9, 20212021.12.09 Temporary Waiver of “60-Day Rule” for Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record (Form I-693)
This Biden administration policy temporarily waives the Trump-era policy identified in this entry.
On December 9, 2021, citing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and related processing delays, USCIS announced a temporary waiver until September 30, 2022, of the "60-day rule" which had required that the civil surgeon’s signature on an otherwise valid Form I-693 be dated no more than 60 days before the applicant files the application for the underlying immigration benefit.
View DocumentBiden Administration Action: Modified
September 29, 2022Extension of Temporary Waiver of “60-Day Rule” for Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record (Form I-693)
On September 29, 2022, USCIS announced a continuation of the temporary waiver until March 31, 2023 of the "60-day rule" which required that the civil surgeon’s signature on an otherwise valid Form I-693 be dated no more than 60 days before the applicant files the application for the underlying immigration benefit.
View DocumentBiden Administration Action: Revoked/Replaced
March 31, 2023Removal of “60-Day Rule” for Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record (Form I-693)
On March 31, 2023, USCIS announced that it would permanently remove the requirement that civil surgeons sign Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, no more than 60 days before an individual applies for an underlying immigration benefit. The new policy applies to all Forms I-693 associated with applications for underlying immigration benefits that were pending as of March 31, 2023.
USCIS will accept Forms I-693 for adjudicative purposes for up to two years after the date the civil surgeon signed the form, regardless of when the application for the underlying immigration petition was submitted.
View DocumentCurrent Status
Not in effect
Most Recent Action
March 31, 2023Action: Revoked/Replaced Removal of “60-Day Rule” for Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record (Form I-693)
August 12, 2021
Acted on by Biden Administration
December 9, 2021
Acted on by Biden Administration
September 29, 2022
Acted on by Biden Administration
March 31, 2023
Acted on by Biden Administration
See AlsoReport of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination RecordForm I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record – USCIS GuideUSCIS Form I-693: Finding a USCIS Doctor and Where and When to Submit Your Medical Exam - SimpleCitizenDemystifying the Medical Examination: Form I-693 ExplainedOriginal Trump Policy Status
Status:Final/Actual
Trump Administration Actions:Change in PracticeForms and Information Collection
Subject Matter:Immigrant Visas
Agencies Affected:USCIS
Associated or Derivative Policies
- February 1, 2019USCIS requests comment on proposed revisions to Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record
Pre Trump-Era Policies
- May 30, 2014
The I-693 medical exam was previously valid for one year from the date of submission to USCIS. Additionally, the I-485 applicant had to submit the I-693 medical exam within one year of the actual medical exam date.
USCIS Policy Alert 2014-005
Documents
Trump-Era Policy Documents
- New Policy
- Prior Policy
Biden Administration Policy Documents
- Biden Administration Action
Original Source:
USCIS Temporarily Extending Validity Period of Form I-693
- Biden Administration Action
- Biden Administration Action
- Biden Administration Action
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Glossary
Reflects degree to which the Trump-era policy remains in effect today.
Trump-era policies that have not been altered or eliminated.
Policies that have not been fully eliminated but are not in effect in their original substance. They may have been amended, updated with changes, or eliminated or enjoined in some jurisdictions or with respect to some affected parties but not others.
Policies that have expired or been fully rescinded, replaced, enjoined, etc., or that were proposed but never were finalized.
Indicates the entity that caused the action reflected in Type of Action. "Others" may include the Trump administration, Congress, unions, etc.--i.e., any actor other than the courts or the Biden Administration.
Indicates the process or action by which a policy ceased to be in effect or became partially in effect. If no such action or process has take place, or if the policy has been ratified, it is fully in effect.
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