USCIS Communicable Disease Screening & Reporting 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which communicable disease classification results in a mandatory finding of inadmissibility during the USCIS immigration medical examination?
- Class B1 condition
- Class A condition (Correct answer)
- Class B2 condition
- Class B other condition
Correct answer: Class A condition
Class A communicable diseases of public health significance (such as active tuberculosis, infectious syphilis, and gonorrhea) render an applicant inadmissible under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Question 2: Which screening method is specified by CDC Technical Instructions as the initial test for tuberculosis in USCIS immigration medical examinations?
- Chest X-ray alone
- Sputum smear and culture
- Tuberculin skin test (TST) or interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) (Correct answer)
- Chest CT scan with contrast
Correct answer: Tuberculin skin test (TST) or interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA)
The CDC Technical Instructions require tuberculosis screening to begin with either a TST or an approved IGRA test, not a chest X-ray, which is reserved for follow-up of positive screening results.
Question 3: Which serologic tests are used to screen for syphilis during the USCIS immigration medical examination?
- FTA-ABS and TPHA tests
- VDRL or RPR tests (Correct answer)
- ELISA and Western blot tests
- PCR and culture tests
Correct answer: VDRL or RPR tests
The VDRL (Venereal Disease Research Laboratory) and RPR (Rapid Plasma Reagin) are the non-treponemal serologic tests used as initial screening tools for syphilis in immigration medical examinations.
Question 4: Under current USCIS policy, which of the following diseases is no longer classified as a communicable disease of public health significance for immigration inadmissibility purposes?
- Active pulmonary tuberculosis
- Infectious gonorrhea
- HIV infection (Correct answer)
- Active infectious syphilis
Correct answer: HIV infection
HIV was removed from the list of communicable diseases of public health significance in January 2010, meaning HIV infection alone is no longer a ground for inadmissibility.
Question 5: What is the required next step when an immigration applicant has a positive tuberculin skin test (TST) result during the USCIS medical examination?
- Classify the applicant as Class A and recommend inadmissibility
- Perform a chest X-ray to evaluate for active pulmonary tuberculosis (Correct answer)
- Repeat the TST in two weeks to confirm the result
- Prescribe LTBI treatment immediately before completing Form I-693
Correct answer: Perform a chest X-ray to evaluate for active pulmonary tuberculosis
A positive TST indicates TB infection but not necessarily active disease; a chest X-ray is required to distinguish between active tuberculosis and latent tuberculosis infection.
Question 6: Which CDC-approved IGRA tests are acceptable alternatives to the TST for tuberculosis screening in USCIS medical examinations?
- QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus and T-SPOT.TB (Correct answer)
- QuantiFERON-TB Classic and Mantoux IGRA
- T-SPOT.TB and ELISA-TB Gold
- QuantiFERON-TB Silver and T-SPOT.Gold
Correct answer: QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus and T-SPOT.TB
The CDC Technical Instructions approve the QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) and T-SPOT.TB as the two IGRA tests acceptable for TB screening in immigration medical examinations.
Question 7: What action must a civil surgeon take when an immigration applicant is found to have active, infectious gonorrhea during the USCIS medical examination?
- Record it as a Class B condition and complete the I-693
- Classify the condition as Class A, rendering the applicant inadmissible (Correct answer)
- Treat the infection and clear the applicant immediately on the same visit
- Defer the I-693 indefinitely until the applicant undergoes treatment
Correct answer: Classify the condition as Class A, rendering the applicant inadmissible
Gonorrhea is a Class A communicable disease of public health significance; a civil surgeon must classify active gonorrhea as Class A, which results in a finding of inadmissibility.
USCIS Communicable Disease Screening & Reporting 1
Which communicable disease classification results in a mandatory finding of inadmissibility during the USCIS immigration medical examination?