Immigrant and Refugee Health
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.
The Technical Instructions have been updated regarding the scope of the medical examination for all applicants. For details, please see the Tuberculosis, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, and Medical History and Physical Examination Technical Instructions for Panel Physicians and the Tuberculosis, 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.
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.
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.
Credit: Consultorios de Visa, panel physician site in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
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 populations. 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.