Q: What are the immigrant visa medical appointment requirements, and can I complete my medical appointment after my interview? 

A: You (and each family member or “derivative applicant” applying for a visa with you) are required to schedule a medical appointment with an embassy-authorised physician at Andrews Memorial Hospital, also referred to as the panel physician.

You must complete your medical examination, along with any required vaccinations, before your scheduled visa interview date.

Carefully follow any instructions the panel physician gives you at appointment scheduling to prepare for your medical exam. For example, you may be asked to bring any prescriptions or treatment plans for ongoing conditions. If the panel physician directs you to attend any follow-up appointments, you should do so as soon as possible to avoid processing delays.

For vaccinations, the panel physician will assess whether you have all the mandatory vaccines to immigrate to the United States and administer any that you are missing. You must meet all vaccination requirements to be eligible for an immigrant visa.

After your exam, the panel physician will send the results directly to the embassy, but it can take one to two weeks for the embassy to receive your exam results. There may be additional delays at the moment due to COVID-19. Any documents the panel physician gives you are for your records. 

Q: At my interview, I was told the panel physician determined I have a substance abuse disorder. What should I do now?

A: As the panel physician determined you currently have a substance abuse disorder, you were found to be currently ineligible for an immigrant visa at your visa interview. This ineligibility is outlined in the letter you received at the time of interview, and includes information on how to overcome the ineligibility. It is important to immediately contact the panel physician to set up a treatment and monitoring plan in order to overcome the ineligibility in the future and move forward with your visa case.

The latest information on our operating status can be found on our website at www.jm.usembassy.gov or by visiting www.travel.state.gov. Keep on top of embassy news on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/USEmbassyJamaica/ and by following @USEmbassyJA on Twitter. We also answer general consular questions on our Facebook and Twitter pages.