USCIS Communicable Disease Screening & Reporting

Question 1

Which communicable disease classification results in a mandatory finding of inadmissibility during the USCIS immigration medical examination?

Accepted Answer

Class A condition

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

Tuberculin skin test (TST) or interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA)

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

VDRL or RPR tests

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

HIV infection

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

Perform a chest X-ray to evaluate for active pulmonary tuberculosis

Answer

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.

USCIS - Medical Exam Practice Test

USCIS - Medical Exam Practice Test

USCIS Communicable Disease Screening & Reporting