Not in the traditional sense. The immigration medical exam does not have a pass or fail score. What it has is a set of specific conditions defined by U.S. immigration law that can make you inadmissible on health grounds. The vast majority of applicants complete the exam without any issues. When problems arise, they are usually either administrative (a form error that triggers a Request for Evidence) or medical (a treatable condition that pauses the application until resolved). Permanent, unresolvable denials based on health alone are rare.
If you are preparing for your exam and want to understand how it works before you arrive, immigration exam at a civil surgeon in Tampa at Medical Exams of Tampa includes a full pre-exam consultation with bilingual staff available.
The three ways an immigration medical exam can go wrong
1. A form error or administrative deficiency
This is the most common reason for a setback, and it has nothing to do with your health. USCIS issues a Request for Evidence (RFE) when Form I-693 has a technical problem: an outdated edition date, a missing signature, an incomplete vaccination section, a wrong address, or a broken seal on the envelope. In fiscal year 2024, nearly 50,000 green card denials were recorded, with incomplete documentation among the leading contributing factors.
An RFE is not a denial. It is a request for correction. The civil surgeon can often resolve the issue by correcting or reissuing the form. In some cases, specific sections of the exam may need to be repeated. The timeline adds weeks to the process, but the application continues.
The best way to avoid this: review your unsealed copy of Form I-693 carefully before leaving the civil surgeon’s office. Any error caught before the sealed envelope is submitted can be corrected on the spot.
2. A Class A medical condition
A Class A condition is a health finding that makes you inadmissible under current immigration law. The full list is narrow: active tuberculosis, untreated syphilis, untreated gonorrhea, infectious Hansen’s disease, drug abuse or active addiction, and physical or mental disorders currently associated with harmful behavior.
A Class A finding pauses your application. It does not end it. For communicable diseases, completing treatment and obtaining documentation from a treating physician clears the finding. The civil surgeon can then finalize Form I-693 and your application proceeds. Active TB requires full treatment completion, which takes months, but applicants who complete treatment are cleared.
Drug abuse and addiction are the exception. No medical waiver is available for this Class A condition. Documented remission, confirmed by a subsequent civil surgeon evaluation, is the path forward.
3. Concealing or misrepresenting a condition
This is the one scenario that comes closest to an automatic, serious problem. USCIS expects full disclosure on Form I-693. If a civil surgeon later determines that information was withheld or falsified, or if USCIS discovers a misrepresentation during adjudication, the consequences go beyond a delayed application. Misrepresentation on immigration documents is a separate ground of inadmissibility under INA §212(a)(6)(C) and can result in permanent bars to admission.
The practical takeaway: disclose everything. Conditions that applicants are afraid to mention (mental health history, past drug use, prior positive TB tests) are usually evaluated as Class B findings that do not affect admissibility. The risk of concealment is always higher than the risk of disclosure.
What conditions do NOT cause a failed exam
Latent TB (positive blood test with normal chest X-ray) does not make you inadmissible. It is a Class B finding, documented and reported to the local health department, but it does not block your green card.
Treated syphilis or gonorrhea with documented proof of cure is not a Class A condition. HIV is not on the inadmissibility list and has not been since 2010. Chronic conditions including diabetes, cancer, heart disease, kidney disease, depression, anxiety, and physical disabilities are not grounds for denial.
Missing vaccines are technically a ground of inadmissibility, but this is resolved at the appointment. The civil surgeon administers missing vaccines or directs you to a pharmacy, and the issue is cleared before Form I-693 is sealed.
What to do if your exam reveals a Class A condition
Stay calm and follow the civil surgeon’s instructions. For treatable infections, the path is straightforward: complete the recommended treatment, obtain written documentation from your treating physician, and return to the civil surgeon for a follow-up evaluation. Once the condition is cleared, the exam can be finalized.
For conditions that cannot be resolved medically, an immigration attorney can help you evaluate whether a medical waiver (Form I-601) is available for your specific situation. Waivers are available for most Class A conditions except drug abuse and addiction.
Book your immigration medical exam in Tampa
Medical Exams of Tampa is a USCIS-designated civil surgeon office at 7345 Jackson Springs Rd, Tampa, FL. The civil surgeon explains all findings clearly before sealing the form and provides you with an unsealed copy to review. To schedule your green card exam in Tampa, visit medicalexamstampa.com/immigration-exams or call 813-249-0001.
