Immigrant visa applicants living outside the United States are required to undergo a medical examination by an approved panel physician, normally as part of their visa interview at the U.S. Embasssy / Consulate in the applicant’s country of residence. In this article, we alert our readers to some recent changes in the approved list of physicians in India.
New Panel Physicians for Immigrant Visa Applicants in Mumbai
Lilavati Hospital & Research Centre was previously an approved provider of panel physicians for all immigrant visa applicants in and around Mumbai. However, they recently were replaced by Rele Clinic, located at 10AA, Gita Building, A Wing, 2nd floor, Pandita Ramabai Road, Gamdevi, Mumbai – 400007.
Panel Physicians Available Again in State of Kerala
Until recently, U.S. immigrant visa applicants from the state of Kerala had to travel to Chennai to complete the medical examination. Panel physicians were available in Cochin only for a brief period. The updated list of panel physicians, published in April 2013, now includes the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Center, Cochin. Immigrant visa applicants in and around Kerala now may have their medical examination done at Cochin, Kerala. Applicants may choose to have the medical examination conducted at any one of the panel physicians in the approved list.
Though the medicals can be performed with one of the approved panel physicians, all immigrant visa applicants in India will have to appear for their immigrant visa interview either at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi or at the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai. The interview will be scheduled by the National Visa Centre based on the residential address provided on the Form DS230.
The updated list of panel physicians for applicants falling within the consular jurisdiction of the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai can be found here; and the list for applicants falling within the consular jurisdiction of U.S. Embassy New Delhi can be found here.
Conclusion
The above changes show that the U.S. Embassy / Consulate is constantly monitoring the performance of panel physicians and assessing the needs of U.S. visa applicants. We expect that in the future, panel physicians will be available in almost all the States, to avoid inconvenience to applicants.
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