The Trump administration is reversing a policy regarding green cards that was just put in place last year. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Wednesday, June 11, that every new permanent residency application now requires a renewed medical examination form.
What does this rule change mean?
The rule applies to all applications for permanent residency filed starting June 11, 2025, as well as all applications that were already pending.
This means that every I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status) filed must have an accompanying Form I-693 (Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record) filed.
If an application is currently pending, but does not have an associated medical exam form filed, it’ll be denied.
Until now, Form I-693s were valid indefinitely, as long as they were properly completed. That rule just went into effect in April 2024.
Now, the forms will no longer be valid if a person’s application to become a permanent resident is withdrawn or denied.
Additionally, everyone who applies for a green card must get an exam, a rule that just went into effect in December 2024.
Before December, only individuals who needed to prove they were not inadmissible on medical grounds were required to file a medical examination form.
What is required for the medical exam form?
Medical exams can cost hundreds of dollars and are performed by a civil surgeon. They include checks for specific conditions or diseases that could render a person inadmissible to the U.S., as well as vaccination records.
This new rule means people looking to get a green card could have to pay for an exam more than once.
If a person withdraws their permanent residency application, or if it is denied and they want to apply again, they now have to get a medical exam again.
‘Gold card’ option
Also on Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced the launch of a new website where people can register their interest in signing up for a “gold card” that would enable successful applicants to buy a green card for $5 million.
It appears to be part of his plan to replace EB-5 offers granting green cards to individuals who invest in the U.S., which he announced in February.
Trump has claimed that sales of the “gold card” could raise $50 trillion, enough money to retire the national debt. Existing data, however, suggests that the initiative would instead raise approximately $25 billion to $40 billion.
Legal experts say that President Trump cannot amend or abolish the EB-5 visa program without congressional approval, although a new “gold card” program could theoretically coexist with the existing EB-5.
