This page is for licensed physicians preparing to apply for civil surgeon designation with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. It gives you free practice question sets on designation, screening, vaccinations, and physical examination, plus worked explanations and a study plan to use alongside the official Form I-910 instructions.
Numbers in brackets link to the official sources listed under Sources & last verified. Dates that have passed are removed automatically.
| Item | Detail | Source · Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Exam fee | $990 per Form I-910 application[1] | ecfr.gov · Oct 22, 2026 |
| Delivery | Paper Form I-910 mailed to the USCIS Dallas Lockbox[2] | U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Department of Homeland Security · Oct 22, 2026 |
| Eligibility | Licensed MD/DO, 4+ years U.S. experience, U.S. work authorization[3] | U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Department of Homeland Security · Oct 22, 2026 |
According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “Where to File File with the USCIS Dallas Lockbox U.S. Postal Service (USPS): USCIS Attn: I-910 P.O. Box 660812 Dallas, TX 75266”[2]
Civil surgeon designation is the status USCIS gives to physicians who perform immigration medical examinations. It is handled through an application, Form I-910, rather than a single scored test, and the facts we have verified do not include a score, time limit or question count. If you need those details, check the official USCIS pages.
According to the Form I-910 instructions, you need an active and unrestricted license as a doctor of medicine (M.D.) or doctor of osteopathy (D.O.) in the U.S. state or territory where you plan to perform immigration medical examinations. You also need at least 4 years of experience and U.S. work authorization.
The filing fee is $990 per Form I-910 application, as listed in the federal fee regulation. Paper applications are mailed to the USCIS Dallas Lockbox. Use the address on the official USCIS form page or the current instructions, because filing details can change.
Rules on retaking, reapplying or state-specific licensing steps vary and are not covered by the facts above, so confirm them with USCIS and your state medical board. Our practice sets are written by us with AI tools. They are not real exam questions, and they do not replace the official instructions.
Prepare for the USCIS Doctors - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Certified Doctors exam with our free practice test modules. Each quiz covers key topics to help you pass on your first try.
These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.
Question: What standard diagnostic manual does USCIS instruct civil surgeons to use when classifying mental disorders?
Answer: A. DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)
Explanation:
The correct answer is DSM, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. USCIS instructs civil surgeons to classify mental disorders using DSM criteria, so the evaluation follows a single, recognised standard.
ICD-10 only is wrong because the instruction names the DSM, and the word "only" makes the option too narrow. The WHO Classification of Mental Disorders is a real international system, but it is not the manual USCIS tells civil surgeons to use here. NIMH Diagnostic Guidelines is wrong because NIMH is a research institute and does not publish the classification manual that the instructions point to.
Rule to remember: when a question asks which reference the immigration medical evaluation follows, choose the one the USCIS instructions name, not another reputable clinical system.
Question: A Civil Surgeon must be a licensed physician with at least how many years of experience in practice?
Answer: B. 4 years
Explanation:
The correct answer is 4 years. A physician applying for civil surgeon designation needs a licence and at least 4 years of experience, which matches the eligibility rules in the Form I-910 instructions.
1 year is wrong because it falls well below the minimum. 5 years is wrong because it asks for more than the requirement; it is a tempting round number, but the rule is not set there. 10 years is wrong for the same reason and is far above the minimum. Experience is a threshold, not a ranking, so more years than the minimum still meets it.
Rule to remember: eligibility questions test the exact minimum. When two options both look plausible, pick the one that matches the official instructions rather than the one that sounds more rigorous.
Question: What is the minimum years of professional experience typically required for a physician to apply for civil surgeon designation?
Answer: A. 4 years of professional experience after completing training
Explanation:
The correct answer is 4 years of professional experience after completing training. That is the minimum a physician needs to apply for civil surgeon designation, alongside a licence and U.S. work authorization.
1 year of professional experience is wrong because it is below the minimum. 10 years in general practice is wrong because it overstates the requirement and wrongly limits it to one specialty. Board certification with no minimum experience years is wrong because the experience minimum exists; certification does not replace it.
Rule to remember: the experience requirement is a stated minimum that applies to the applicant's practice of medicine. Read each option for added conditions, such as a required specialty or a missing minimum, since those details are often how the wrong answers are built.
Start with the official Form I-910 instructions and read the eligibility and filing sections slowly. Write down anything that depends on your state or on the current USCIS edition, and mark it to verify rather than memorise.
Then work through the practice sets by topic. Begin with designation and compliance, since it covers who qualifies and how the process works. Move to infectious disease screening and vaccination requirements, then physical examination requirements and mental health and substance abuse evaluation. The medical documentation set is a good place to finish.
After each set, review every miss. For each wrong answer, find the matching passage in the official material and note the rule in your own words. If you keep missing the same topic, redo that set a few days later without looking at your notes.
Finally, try the mixed practice test and use any remaining weak spots to decide what to reread in the official instructions.
The Form I-910 instructions require an active and unrestricted licence as an M.D. or D.O. in the U.S. state or territory where you will perform immigration medical examinations. You also need at least 4 years of experience and U.S. work authorization. Check the current official instructions before applying.
The fee is $990 per Form I-910 application, according to the federal fee regulation. Fees can change, so confirm the amount on the official USCIS page for the form before you send payment.
Paper applications go to the USCIS Dallas Lockbox, using the Attn: I-910 address that USCIS lists on its form page. Copy the address from the official page at the time you file, in case the lockbox details have been updated.
The verified facts for this page describe an application with eligibility requirements, not a scored test, and they give no score, time limit or question count. Our practice sets help you review the subject matter. For any testing or approval steps, rely on the official USCIS instructions.
No. The questions are written by us with AI tools and are not taken from any real exam or from USCIS. Use them to check your understanding of topics such as screening, vaccinations and documentation, and verify every rule against the official material.
How we verify: editorial & fact-checking policy. Report an error: contact us.