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Group of young African children

As a world leader in health promotion and disease prevention, CDC works with immigrant, refugee, and migrant groups to improve their health by:

  • providing guidelines for disease screening and treatment in the United States and overseas
  • tracking and reporting disease in these populations
  • responding to disease outbreaks in the United States and overseas
  • advising U.S. partners on health care for refugee groups
  • educating and communicating with immigrant and refugee groups and partners.

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News and Updates

The Technical Instructions have been updated regarding the scope of the medical examination for all applicants.  For details, please see the Syphilis, Gonorrhea, and Medical History and Physical Examination Technical Instructions for Panel Physicians  and the Syphilis, Gonorrhea, and Medical History and Physical Examination Technical Instructions for Civil Surgeons.

Final Rule 42 CFR Part 34 (Medical Examination of Aliens)On January 26, 2016, HHS/CDC posted a Final Rule to the Federal Register to revise the medical screening process for the medical examination for aliens.  Read more »

Medical Examination of Immigrants and Refugees

refugees

Under the authority of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and the Public Health Service Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services promulgates regulations outlining the requirements for the medical examination of aliens seeking admission into the United States. The Division of Global Migration and Quarantine provides the Department of State (DOS) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) with medical screening guidelines for all examining physicians, which outline in detail the scope of the medical examination. The purpose of the medical examination is to identify, for the DOS and USCIS, applicants with inadmissible health-related conditions.

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Technical Instructions, Information and Updates

Man giving tuberculosis drugs at clinic in Cotonou, Benin

Medical screening guidelines (referred to as Technical Instructions) for all examining physicians, which outline in detail the scope of the medical examination for U.S.

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Refugee Health Guidelines

Woman showing patient chest x-ray

On average, close to 60,000 refugees relocate to the United States annually. They come from diverse regions of the world and bring with them health risks and diseases common to all refugee populations as well as some that may be unique to specific popuations. The purpose of this document is to describe general and optional testing components that do not fall into the specific disease categories of these guidelines. These guidelines are based upon principles of best practices, with references to primary literature when available.

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