Is it possible for my wife got approved without TB test RFE?

[reason]

My GC was approved recently as in my signature.

My wife and daughter’s cases are still pending. We submitted 693 forms together with TB test ‘NOT DONE’. I got REF for TB. Now we are nervous waiting RFE for my wife. Maybe we should do it in advance to save time.

The question is this, is it possible for her get approved without RFE?
Has anyone got approved recently without TB test result in 693 form?

Please share! Thanks!

 

[rnepal418]

There are few people who got approval without TB skin test. I am on the same boat too..I did not sumit by TB skin test..

 

[rav_oranges]

Both me and my wife missed the TB skin test as we were told by the doctor the chest xray was enough. We both got RFE's for the skin test.

Also a friend who went to the same doctor before us, got the same thing.

Apparently the doctor said he was having a lot of people come back.

 

[geofu54]

We did get approved without TB skin test. However, I should say it probably happens only when certain conditions are met. In our case, we had done skin test in the U.S. before (10 years ago, when we entered grad school; it was one of those things our state requires new international students do) and we had medical record for that. Also on medical record from our home country we were able to show we had BCG and TB+ was because of that. And finally we showed those records to the civil surgeon, and he documented those things in 693 as the reason we skipped a skin test.

If my understanding is correct, this is in line with CDC's guideline. If your civil surgeon simply checked "Not Done" without any additional explanation, then chances are great you will get a REF. Looks like it's pretty automatic.

 

[reason]

Good luck for us

There are few people who got approval without TB skin test. I am on the same boat too..I did not sumit by TB skin test..

Hi rnepal418
Good luck for all of us. By the way, you are so close to get the magic email. if you did not do the TB, probable you will never need to do it.

 

[reason]

Thank you, rav_oranges and geofu54

Both me and my wife missed the TB skin test as we were told by the doctor the chest xray was enough. We both got RFE's for the skin test.

Also a friend who went to the same doctor before us, got the same thing.

Apparently the doctor said he was having a lot of people come back.

We did get approved without TB skin test. However, I should say it probably happens only when certain conditions are met. In our case, we had done skin test in the U.S. before (10 years ago, when we entered grad school; it was one of those things our state requires new international students do) and we had medical record for that. Also on medical record from our home country we were able to show we had BCG and TB+ was because of that. And finally we showed those records to the civil surgeon, and he documented those things in 693 as the reason we skipped a skin test.

If my understanding is correct, this is in line with CDC's guideline. If your civil surgeon simply checked "Not Done" without any additional explanation, then chances are great you will get a REF. Looks like it's pretty automatic.

I understand now the policy changed, but still hope that INS will let go several cases.

Thanks f or sharing.
Best regards

 

[dandiri]

Answers for the TB skin test issues

It looks like TB skin test (a.k.a. ppd skin test, TST) has been an issue for quite a large number of GC applicants. I see that some people just try to avoid it for no reason (maybe cost issues) while some others do not get it because they have a history of positive response to TB skin test. However, it looks like Civil Surgeons working with USCIS has strict orders from CDC to have the TB skin test done for everybody with a few exceptions described at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/updates.htm

At the link given above it clearly says that Civil Surgeaon should see written documentation for positive result with health care provider's signature. However, the instructions is not clear how this information should be conveyed to USCIS in form I-693. In my case (I have a positive response from a test in US requested by my employer a few years ago), I showed paperwork to the Civil surgeon and he added a statement in remarks section of the I-693 form saying that I have a history of positive TB skin skin test. He proceeded to X-rays and checked clear on X-ray section of the form. I did not want to get TB skin test again because the time I got positive result health care provider warned me not to take a TB skin test again in the fututre. If you go ahead and google it, you can find information from healthcare websites that people with positive response to TB test are recommended not to take the test again. However, CDC is not satisfied by verbal statement and wants civil surgeons to see written document as probably a lot of immigrants try to bypass the test by lying.

Back to my case, now I am not sure if USCIS officer will be statisfied by the written statement of the civil surgeon that I have a history of positive response. I don't know because he did not add neither a copy of the document nor the response in mm's. So, I will not be suprised if I'll get an RFE. In that case rather than trying to convince them with my old written document, I would probably go ahead and take the test. Otherwise I may get more RFE's and loose more time. Again, CDC asks civil surgeons to see a written document but there is no additional instructions about how to convey that info to USCIS. However I am pretty sure that if civil surgeon just checks "not done" on the form and sends it like that you will almost for sure get and RFE ans request for the test. BTW, in another document I read that USCIS strictly asks civil surgeons not to do so otherwise they could loose their CS license or contract.

As a conclusion, I strongly recommend anybody going to medical exam soon to take TB skin test in any case if they do not want to get RFE's or loose time. Takin the test is to their best interest in near future. I would do so if I ran a search before taking the medical exam.

 

[geofu54]

Back to my case, now I am not sure if USCIS officer will be statisfied by the written statement of the civil surgeon that I have a history of positive response. I don't know because he did not add neither a copy of the document nor the response in mm's.

As I posted above, in our case the civil surgeon documented it in I-693 based on the medical records we showed him, but he didn't take and attach a copy of the document. And we didn't get a medical RFE. So hopefully, you won't get a RFE on this matter (then again, luck always matters when it comes to CIS. You may be unfortunate enough to have a picky officer that issues a bunch of RFE).

 

[sandyT]

You wont get the RFE if Civil surgeon had documented on the form the reason why the test is not done (in most of the cases- previous skin test came back +ve, done in USA when you enter into any employment or academic institution - you should have some sort of documentation to prove it-, and chest x-ray was normal). doctor should simply take another x-ray and report the findings on the medical form. this is what our doc did and we did not get the RFE.
Good Luck