New Centralized Process for Civil Surgeon Designation

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced recently that it will be implementing a new process to receive and adjudicate applications for civil surgeon designation centrally at the National Benefits Center. Previously, civil surgeon designation has been handled at the district or field office having jurisdiction over the prospective civil surgeon’s office location. The new process is set to begin on March 11th of this year and will centralize the civil surgeon application process. USCIS states that the new process will improve application intake, enhance USCIS’s ability to manage and track civil surgeon applications, promote consistency and uniformity in decisions, and improve overall efficiency. The new filing process will not affect current civil surgeons.

Civil surgeons are physicians designated and approved by USCIS to complete medical examinations required as part of adjustment of status applications. Applicants can search for a civil surgeon in their area through the USCIS website.