On March 11, 2014 the US Citizenship & Immigration Services introduced form I-910 (Application for Civil Surgeon Designation). This form seeks to centralize the process for civil surgeon designation applications. Previously, physicians seeking Civil Surgeon Designation needed to go through their local USCIS field office. The new I-910 application is adjudicated at the National Benefits Center with the goals of (1) improving the intake process, (2) enhancing USCIS’s tracking and management of civil surgeon applications, (3) promoting consistency & uniformity in USCIS civil surgeon designation decisions, and (4) improving upon the systems efficiency & integrity. The new process does not affect currently designated civil surgeons, but must be used for all new civil surgeon designations. Furthermore, certain physicians may not need to apply for civil surgeon designation, if they fall under a limited number of blanket designations. This primarily includes physicians who work for State or local health departments or for military physicians employed by the Department of Defense (DOD). State & local health departments are already afforded blanket civil surgeon designation through policy & agreement with the Center for Disease Control (CDC). While military physicians are authorized by the USCIS to administer immigration medical examinations through their blanket designation, physicians afforded blanket civil surgeon designation trough a local or state health department are only authorized to perform the vaccination verification for refugees seeking to adjust status. Should health department civil surgeons desire to complete the entire immigration medical examination, they must first apply for independent civil surgeon designation through form I-910.
To apply for civil surgeon designation; the physician must submit form I-910 along with an application fee. The requirements for civil surgeon designation include the following: “1. Be licensed without restriction as a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.) in the state in which you seek to perform immigration medical examination; 2. Have at least 4 years of professional experience as a physician; and 3. Be authorized to work in the United States.”
Additionally, the applicant must have an active practice at the location(s) where they are requesting to perform immigration medical examinations. Applications based on an intended practice will not be positively adjudicated. All applications should include the following evidence:
1. Evidence of legal status in the United States;
2. Copies of all medical licenses for the jurisdiction in which the physician will perform immigration medical examinations;
3. Copies of all medical degrees, and;
4. Evidence to verify professional experience (evaluations, certificates of completion, or letters of employment verification).
