http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/refugeevacc.pdf
Immigration and Naturalization Service
October 2001.
Headquarters Adjudications Division
VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS FOR REFUGEES AND SALLIES APPLYING FOR ADJUSTMENT
OF STATUS IN THE UNITED STATES
What are the vaccination requirements?
They are: mumps, measles, rubella, polio, tetanus,
diphtheria toxoids, pertussis, influenza type B, hepatitis B, and any other
vaccinations recommended by the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP).
Current ACIP recommendations also include the varicella, haemophilus influenzae
type B, and pneumococcal vaccines.
How do the vaccination requirements affect refugees?
Refugees are not required to comply with the vaccination
requirements during the initial medical exam overseas. They must, however,
comply when they apply for adjustment of status after they have been admitted to
the United States. INS regulations state that refugees applying for adjustment
of status at least 1 year after their initial admission are not required to
repeat the entire medical examination performed overseas, unless there were
medical grounds of inadmissibility (Class A medical conditions) that arose at
that time. As a result, refugees generally need only the vaccination sign-off
(not the whole medical exam) when they apply for adjustment of status. This
vaccination sign-off must be obtained by an INS-designated civil surgeon. For
information on finding an INS-designated civil surgeon, see "Designated
Civil Surgeons."
How do the vaccination requirements affect asylees?
Asylees applying for adjustment of
status at least 1 year after the asylum application was approved are required
to have the entire medical exam, including the vaccination assessment, by a
designated civil surgeon. This is because asylees are not required to
undergo any medical examination as part of their asylum application. To obtain
the name and number of individual physicians in your area that are designated
civil surgeons, you may call the INS National Customer Service Center at:
1-800-375-5283.
How do refugees obtain the vaccination sign-off to
complete their adjustment of status application?
The vaccination sign-off must be obtained from a civil
surgeon. To make this process easier for refugees, INS has designated all state
and local health departments as civil surgeons for those refugees who need only
the vaccination sign-off. Participation by the health departments is voluntary.
Contact your local voluntary agency or your refugee health program at the local
or state level for more information.
What happens to refugees and asylees who do not have
all the vaccinations, cannot prove they have them, or object to vaccinations?
INS is authorized to grant these waivers for humanitarian
reasons, to assure family unity, or when it would otherwise be in the public
interest.
How do refugees and asylees apply for a waiver of the
vaccination requirements, if they need one?
INS has made it very easy to apply for the waiver. INS will grant the waiver without a separate application if:
(1) you didn't have all the vaccinations (or all the
vaccination certificates) at first, but then receive the missing vaccinations,
or find the missing certificates OR
(2) the civil surgeon certifies that it would not be medically appropriate for you to have one or more of the required vaccinations. These are two examples of humanitarian reasons for granting the waiver. The civil surgeon will review your vaccination history with you to determine whether you have all the required vaccinations.
Make sure you take your vaccination records with you to
your medical appointment. Do not try to comply with these requirements before
you meet with the civil surgeon, in case it is not medically appropriate for you
to have one or more of the required vaccinations
What about refugees who object to the vaccination
requirements because of religious or moral reasons?
If complying with the vaccination requirements would be
against your religious beliefs or moral convictions, INS can also consider this
as a humanitarian reason for granting the waiver. You must apply for the waiver
by using a separate form, Form I-602, Application by Refugee for Waiver of
Grounds of Excludability, but you do not need to pay a fee.
In this case, you will need to show that:
(1) you are opposed to vaccinations in any form;
(2) you object because of religious or moral reasons; and
(3) your objection is sincere. If you believe there is any other humanitarian reason why
INS should waive the vaccination requirements for you, you need to submit Form I-602 with your adjustment of status application.