USCIS Communicable Disease Screening & Reporting 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does a 'Class B1 tuberculosis' designation indicate on Form I-693?
- Active, contagious pulmonary TB requiring immediate isolation
- TB disease that is not currently contagious but requires follow-up treatment after U.S. entry (Correct answer)
- Latent TB infection with no evidence of active disease
- A fully resolved prior TB history with no follow-up needed
Correct answer: TB disease that is not currently contagious but requires follow-up treatment after U.S. entry
Class B1 tuberculosis refers to TB disease (e.g., culture-negative or clinically inactive) that is not currently contagious but still requires referral for follow-up evaluation and treatment after U.S. entry.
Question 2: An applicant with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and a normal chest X-ray should receive which tuberculosis classification on Form I-693?
- Class A - tuberculosis
- Class B1 - tuberculosis
- Class B2 - tuberculosis (Correct answer)
- No classification; LTBI is not reportable on I-693
Correct answer: Class B2 - tuberculosis
LTBI with no evidence of active disease is classified as Class B2 tuberculosis on Form I-693, triggering follow-up evaluation in the United States without constituting a ground for inadmissibility.
Question 3: Which entity is responsible for publishing the Technical Instructions that govern communicable disease screening protocols for civil surgeons?
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (Correct answer)
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- World Health Organization (WHO)
Correct answer: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The CDC Division of Global Migration Health publishes the Technical Instructions for Civil Surgeons, which establish the evidence-based protocols for all communicable disease screening in USCIS medical examinations.
Question 4: Who is legally authorized to conduct the immigration medical examination and complete Form I-693 for adjustment of status applicants?
- Any physician licensed to practice medicine in the United States
- USCIS-designated civil surgeons only (Correct answer)
- CDC-certified public health officers
- Any physician licensed in the applicant's country of birth
Correct answer: USCIS-designated civil surgeons only
Only physicians who have been designated as civil surgeons by USCIS are authorized to perform the immigration medical examination and complete Form I-693 for individuals applying for adjustment of status.
Question 5: What is the primary legal purpose of communicable disease screening in the USCIS immigration medical examination?
- To provide mandatory treatment to all applicants with detected infections
- To identify conditions constituting health-related grounds for inadmissibility under the INA (Correct answer)
- To collect CDC epidemiological surveillance data on immigrant populations
- To determine Medicaid eligibility for newly admitted lawful permanent residents
Correct answer: To identify conditions constituting health-related grounds for inadmissibility under the INA
The legal purpose of communicable disease screening is to identify conditions listed under Section 212(a)(1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act that may render an applicant inadmissible on health-related grounds.
Question 6: Which form do civil surgeons use to record the results of communicable disease screening for adjustment of status applicants?
- Form DS-3025 (Vaccination Documentation Worksheet)
- Form I-693 (Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record) (Correct answer)
- Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization)
- Form DS-5541 (Chest X-Ray Worksheet)
Correct answer: Form I-693 (Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record)
Form I-693 is the official USCIS document on which civil surgeons record all medical examination findings, including communicable disease screening results, for adjustment of status applicants.
Question 7: When is sputum smear and culture examination required during tuberculosis evaluation in a USCIS medical examination?
- Whenever the applicant has a positive TST result
- When chest X-ray findings are suggestive of active pulmonary tuberculosis (Correct answer)
- For all applicants born in high TB-prevalence countries
- Whenever an IGRA test result is indeterminate
Correct answer: When chest X-ray findings are suggestive of active pulmonary tuberculosis
Sputum smear and culture are required when chest X-ray findings are consistent with active pulmonary tuberculosis, to microbiologically confirm the diagnosis and assess whether the disease is infectious.
USCIS Communicable Disease Screening & Reporting 2
What does a 'Class B1 tuberculosis' designation indicate on Form I-693?