USCIS Extends Temporary Waiver of “60-Day Rule”
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced an extension of its temporary waiver of the “60-day rule” for Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Form. USCIS normally requires that the civil surgeon’s signature on Form I-693 be dated no more than 60 days before an applicant files an application for the underlying immigration benefit. However, USCIS is extending the temporary waiver of this requirement through March 31, 2023.
Generally, anyone applying for immigration benefits while present in the U.S. must submit Form I-693 to prove that they have no health-related grounds that would make them inadmissible. USCIS considers Form I-693 to remain valid for two years after the date of the form so long as the civil surgeon signs the form no more than 60 days before the applicant submits the application for the underlying immigration benefit. This requirement is commonly referred to as the “60-day rule.”
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in substantial processing delays for USCIS, including delays for applicants in timely completing immigration medical examinations. As a result, USCIS implemented a temporary waiver of the 60-day-rule, effective between December 9, 2021, and September 30, 2022.
Due to continued processing delays and difficulties completing the required immigration medical examinations, USCIS has extended the temporary waiver of the “60-day rule” to March 31, 2023. The extension of the temporary waiver applies to all Forms I-693 submitted with applications for immigration benefits, no matter when the applicants submitted them or when the civil surgeon signed Form I-693. So long as USCIS has not adjudicated the application for immigration benefits, the temporary waiver applies.
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