USCIS Updates Medical Examination Guidance for Afghan Parolees Arriving Under Operation Allies Welcome (OAW)

USCIS announced today that it is updating guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding immigration medical examination requirements for certain Afghan nationals applying for adjustment of status after arriving in the United States under Operation Allies Welcome (OAW). Effective immediately, these applicants may not need to repeat an immigration medical examination if they already completed an immigration medical examination conducted by a panel physician before they arrived in the United States.

The updated guidance allows Afghan nationals applying for adjustment of status after arriving under OAW to use a report of medical examination completed outside the United States by a panel physician to satisfy the requirement normally demonstrated by submitting Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, completed by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon.

The policy guidance clarifies that these applicants do not have to repeat an immigration medical examination and submit Form I-693 if:

• The results of the immigration medical examination completed outside the United States by a panel physician are in their A-File and do not report a Class A medical condition;
• The panel physician completed the immigration medical examination no more than 4 years before the date the applicant files to adjust their status; and
• No evidence suggests that the applicant has acquired a Class A medical condition after entry into the United States.

This does not impact the vaccination requirements that are a condition of parole. Afghan nationals who are paroled into the United States must receive the MMR, polio, and COVID-19 vaccinations, among others, as conditions of their parole. Additionally, all OAW arrivals – U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and Afghan nationals – are tested for COVID-19.

For more information, see Volume 8: Admissibility, Part B, Health-Related Grounds of Inadmissibility, Chapter 3, Applicability of Medical Examination and Vaccination Requirement. Visit the Policy Manual for Comment page to comment on this update.