Applications

Medical Requirements

Overview /  Exam Specifics /  Adoptions /  Immunizations

Medical Exam

Every intending immigrant, including adopted children, must be examined only a U.S. Public Health Service authorized physician before an immigrant visa can be issued. A list of authorized physicians in Korea is automatically sent to each applicant prior to the interview.

Applicants are responsible for making an appointment with one of the authorized physicians and for paying the fee for their examination directly to the physician.

The medical examination process must be completed before the immigrant visa appointment. Each applicant will be required to show his/her passport as identification at each step of the medical examination process. In some instances an applicant may need a follow-up examination.

The medical exam is valid for 6 months, if a Class A or B TB condition exists it is valid for 3 months from the time the evaluation is complete.

Additional information on the required immigrant visa medical exam, including a list of authorized physicians, is sent to each applicant. Only the approved physicians can perform an IV medical exam. You can download the information given to Immigrant, Fiancé, Life Act visa applicants, seo3.5 Acrobat Reader is required to view this form on your computer. The latest Acrobat software is available for a free download.

More Information about the Exam

All applicants 15 years of age or older must have a full chest X-ray. Before leaving the X-ray lab, please make sure that the following information is imprinted on the X-ray itself: first and last name, passport number, date the X-ray was taken and the name of the X-ray lab.

The chest X-ray should be taken by you to your visa interview at CONS/IV. If TB condition exists, you will need the X-ray before you pick up your baggage in the airport in the U.S., so please do not pack it into your luggage. Immigrant visa applicants who are younger than fifteen years of age do not need a chest X-ray or blood tests.

All children aged 14 or younger must be accompanied to the medical exam by an adoptive parent or guardian (in Korea, adoption agencies generally will take orphans to the exam). The physicians have all necessary forms in their offices. At the conclusion of the examination, the physician will complete a record and hand it to the applicant or parents in a sealed envelope to be hand carried on the day of the visa interview.

Applicants should be aware that the IV physical examination is not exhaustive. If you wish to have a more specialized or comprehensive examination or testing, this is a private matter between you and the physician.

Special Issues for Adoptions

If an adopted child has any kind of birth defect, disability or disease, however minor, U.S. law requires that the adopting parents sign a notarized acknowledgment that they are aware of the child's health problem and are willing to adopt the child regardless. Faxed forms cannot be accepted. Each adoptive parent must sign his/her own acknowledgment; one parent cannot sign for another, even with a Power of Attorney.

You can download a blank copy of the acknowledgment form here. Note that Acrobat Reader is required to view this form on your computer.

Immunizations

United States immigration law now requires IV applicants (including adopted children) to obtain certain vaccinations prior to the issuance of an IV. K and V applicants do not need vaccinations.


A physician who conducts medical examinations of IV applicants is now required to verify that immigrant visa applicants have met certain vaccination requirements, or that it is medically inappropriate for the applicant to receive one or more of the listed vaccinations. Certain waivers of the vaccination requirement are available upon the recommendation of the physician.

Only a physician can determine which of the listed vaccinations are medically appropriate, given the age, medical history and current medical condition of the immigrant visa applicant. The list can include:

Mumps, Measles, Rubella, Polio, Tetanus and Diphtheria Toxoids, Pertussis, Influenzae Type B (HIB), Hepatitis B, Varicella, Pneumococcal and Influenza.

Follow this link to learn more about immunizations for immigrant visa applicants.  You can download a copy of the affidavit here. Acrobat Reader is required to view this form on your computer.

The vaccination requirement can be postponed if an adopting parent signs an affidavit prior to the child's arrival in the United States attesting that, within 30 days of the child's admission to the U.S., or at the earliest time that is medically appropriate, the child will receive the required vaccinations. This affidavit must be done on the official affidavit of the U.S. Department of State and must be notarized.

For immigrant visa (IV) inquiries, please e-mail us at seouliv@state.gov.

This is an official U.S. Government source of information on the WWW. Inclusion of non-U.S. Government links or information does not imply endorsement of contents.

The U.S. Embassy is closed on both U.S. and Korean holidays.

May 13, 2008