Immigration Medical Exam (I-693) for Illinois Applicants

An Illinois hospital appointment, not just an Illinois radius

Dr. Padda holds full staff privileges at Anderson Hospital, 6800 State Route 162, Maryville, IL — credentialed medical-staff membership at a hospital in the Metro East, which the hospital can confirm directly. The I-693 examination is performed at the Woodson office beside Lambert Airport, where the testing and sealing process is set up; the hospital appointment is what makes the Illinois presence verifiable rather than notional.

What the examination covers

History, the USCIS-specified physical, an immunization review with catch-up doses, and on-site tuberculosis, syphilis and gonorrhea testing — 2 to 6 hours, sealed at whichever visit everything is complete. Costs: fees and timeline. Requirements by age: vaccine requirements.

Why the state line does not matter

The designation is issued federally and the sealed envelope is accepted at any USCIS office in the country. Dr. Padda appears in that registry as CSID 111051, with five American specialty-board certifications.

The drive from the Metro East

The Woodson clinic sits next to Lambert Airport, generally twenty-five to forty minutes from the Metro East communities, with multilingual staff and parking at the building.

Illinois communities we serve

Maryville, Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Collinsville and Troy, plus the wider Madison and St. Clair counties. Each of those has a page of its own.

N-648 evaluations for Illinois applicants

Where a medical or mental-health condition prevents an applicant passing the English and civics test, the N-648 disability waiver is a separate evaluation that can excuse it, performed in house and in the applicant’s own language.

The two Metro East county clinics

Vaccination gaps delay more forms than anything else. The examination is federal, but immunizations are local — and the two Illinois counties we see most applicants from each run their own clinic.

Madison County states that “all routine adult and childhood immunizations are available,” accepts many insurance plans including Illinois Medicaid, and collects a co-pay at the visit. St. Clair County runs an adult immunization program for uninsured and underinsured patients at a low administration fee, by appointment. Doses can also be given during your exam.

Driving directions from Illinois to 4477 Woodson Rd, Suite 102.

Nearby: Maryville · Edwardsville · Collinsville · St. Louis County

The tuberculosis testing, specifically

This is the part of the examination people know least about and worry about most. Under the CDC technical instructions for civil surgeons, every applicant aged two or older has an IGRA blood test — a blood draw, not the old skin test that required a second visit to be read.

That change matters practically. The skin test needed you back in the office 48 to 72 hours later; a blood test does not, which removes an entire trip for someone driving in from Illinois.

It also removes a long-standing source of false positives: an IGRA is not confounded by prior BCG vaccination, which is why so many people vaccinated as children abroad were told for years that they had a positive skin test and needed further evaluation they did not need.

Applicants under two are examined and take a history instead, with testing only where there are symptoms or specific risk factors.

What the examination is not

It is not a general physical, it does not replace your own physician, and it does not screen you for the things a routine check-up would. It is a defined federal examination with a defined scope, and findings outside that scope are noted and referred rather than treated here.

It is also not an assessment of whether your application will succeed. The civil surgeon completes and seals a medical form; the decision belongs to USCIS, and no clinic can tell you how that will go. Anyone suggesting otherwise is selling something.

Getting an appointment

Most applicants are seen within days rather than weeks, and there is rarely a reason to wait. If you have a USCIS deadline, say so when you call and it is scheduled against that date.

Come with identification, whatever vaccination records exist, and a list of medications. Those three things determine whether the visit finishes in one appointment, and two of them are usually already in a drawer at home.

Frequently asked questions

Is Dr. Padda connected to any hospital in Illinois?

Yes. He holds full staff privileges at Anderson Hospital, 6800 State Route 162, Maryville, IL 62062 — credentialed medical-staff membership the hospital can confirm directly. The I-693 examination itself is performed at the Woodson office in St. Louis.

I had the BCG vaccine. Will I fail the TB test?

No — BCG history is exactly why the testing has to be done precisely rather than assumed, and it is accounted for. More here: why precision beats assumption on TB.

Is the N-648 part of the I-693 appointment?

No, it is a separate evaluation with its own process and fee, though both can be arranged with the same physician. Details: the N-648 disability waiver evaluation.

What if I need my results explained after the visit?

The findings that go on the form are discussed with you at the appointment, and the office is reachable afterwards. Contact details are on the locations page.

Where to go

Clinic map & directions · Meet Dr. Padda, your civil surgeon