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Designated Civil Surgeons

ALERT: See the new Gonorrhea Component Technical Instructions for Form I-693, which became effective Aug. 1, 2016.

Depending on the immigration benefit sought, an applicant may be required to undergo a medical examination. Immigration medical examinations conducted inside the United States must be performed by a civil surgeon who has been designated by USCIS. (Immigration medical examinations conducted outside the United States must be performed by a panel physician who has been designated by the Department of State.)

For more information on the immigration medical exam, see USCIS Policy Manual Guidance on Health-Related Grounds of Inadmissibility. For more information on civil surgeons, see USCIS Policy Manual Civil Surgeon Guidance.

How to Become a Civil Surgeon

If you are interested in becoming a civil surgeon, you must apply using Form I-910, Application for Civil Surgeon Designation.

NOTE: Certain physicians may not need to apply for civil surgeon designation if they fall under a limited number of blanket designations. For more information, see USCIS Policy Manual Blanket Civil Surgeon Designation Guidance.

Civil Surgeons’ Responsibilities: Technical Instructions

Civil surgeons must perform the immigration medical examination according to the Technical Instructions for the Medical Examinations of Aliens in the United States (Technical Instructions or TIs), published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. These Technical Instructions include:

  • The Technical Instructions for Medical Examinations of Aliens in the U.S. (1991);
  • The Tuberculosis (TB) Component of the Technical Instructions for the Medical Examination of Aliens in the U.S. 2008 (effective May 1, 2008);
  • Adjustment of Status for U.S. Permanent Residence Requirements: Technical Instructions for Vaccinations 2009 (effective Dec.14, 2009);
  • 2010 Technical Instructions for Mental Disorders and Substance Abuse for Civil Surgeons (effective June 1, 2010);
  • 2013 Technical Instructions for Syphilis and Hansen’s Disease (effective Jan. 1, 2013); and
  • Any updates to the documents listed above as published on CDC’s website.

Each of these documents and updates can be obtained from the CDC’s website.

CDC does not mail hard copies of these documents; it is the responsibility of the civil surgeon to obtain these documents online and comply with the requirements of the Technical Instructions.

Failure to comply with the Technical Instructions may result in USCIS revoking the civil surgeon’s designation.

CDC does not mail hard copies of these documents; it is the responsibility of the civil surgeon to obtain these documents online and comply with the requirements of the Technical Instructions.

Failure to comply with the Technical Instructions may result in USCIS revoking the civil surgeon’s designation.

For more information or a full list of civil surgeons’ responsibilities, see the instructions to Form I-910 or the USCIS Policy Manual Civil Surgeon Guidance.

Educational Materials for Civil Surgeons

USCIS coordinates with CDC to provide regular instruction on how to perform the immigration medical examination according to the Technical Instructions and correctly capture results of the exam on Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record. PowerPoint presentations from the recent Civil Surgeon Seminar series can be found below.

Civil Surgeon Letters

Civil Surgeon Seminars

For more information on upcoming seminars, please contact USCIS Public Engagement at public.engagement@uscis.dhs.gov or sign up for email updates by clicking the link on the top right.

Vaccination Requirements

Questions and Updates

For currently designated civil surgeons:

If your inquiry/request is... Then
An immigration-related question or question about completing Form I-693 Send inquiry to USCIS at opscivilsurgeons@uscis.dhs.gov
A medical question about the immigration medical examination or CDC's Technical Instructions Send inquiry to CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/cdc-info/requestform.html 
Related to civil surgeon designation

Current and newly approved civil surgeons will receive a designated email box address with their approval notification. This mailbox should be used in relation to your designation to include updating your contact information, office locations, or terminating your status.

For general inquiries concerning civil surgeon designation, the application process, or a pending application, call the USCIS Contact Center at (1-800-375-5283).

MyUSCIS Find a Doctor

A public list of designated civil surgeons is available online through the myUSCIS Find a Doctor website.

In order to keep the public list of civil surgeons accurate and up-to-date, civil surgeons must notify USCIS within 15 days of any change(s) relevant to civil surgeon designation, including if:

  • The civil surgeon ceases to practice medicine;
  • The civil surgeon ceases to perform immigration medical examinations in the state in which he or she is designated; or
  • There is a change in the civil surgeon’s contact information (as examples, name of office, address, telephone number, fax number, or email address), or
  • The civil surgeon would like to add new office locations.
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