Becoming a United States resident, and potentially a full citizen, is an exciting time for anyone trying to live in the US. However, there is a significant amount of legal groundwork to begin and complete the proccess.

A large part of that legal ground work includes immigration physicals that help evaluate if they any incoming immigrants can receive legal resident status.

Any immigrant that plans on going through the legal processes for residency, and eventually citizenship, will need to find an urgent care or walk-in clinic to get an updated physical. But there are a few other steps that new immigrants can take to ensure their physical goes smoothly.

Anyone getting an immigration physical will need various types of medical information in order to fully complete your physical. In addition, there are other tips that may help your physical go off without any major snags:

Bring in copies of your x-rays and other pertinent health information

If you have any health risks or chronic conditions, you’ll be required to bring in all relevant medical information to complete your physical in a timely fashion.

Immigration physicals are comprehensive reviews of your overall health and if you can effectively manage any chronic diseases/unique healthcare needs. For example, you’ll need to bring in a prescription script for the examiner if you require medications to treat specific health conditions.

Without these pieces of personal medical information, you may not pass the exam and add further delays in your immigration process. Ask your provider in advance to double-check what you’ll need.

Have a copy of your vaccination and preventive care records on hand

One of the most important parts of an immigration physical includes a comprehensive vaccination and preventive care review by the medical examiner.

Bring in any and all vaccination records before the date of your exam. Additionally, you’ll want to review your vaccine history and make sure you’re up-to-date on all vaccinations. This is because a large part of passing an immigration physicals includes reviewing if you’re at risk of spreading communicable diseases like measles.

An examiner will also review if you had any checkups or routine healthcare appointments before your physical. This information helps the examiner know if you are taking proactive control of your health.

Bring in payment and identification forms.

Immigration processes in the U.S require an extensive review of your identity, so you’ll need to bring all applicable forms of identification during the immigration physical as well.

Make sure to come into your physical with a government-issued ID such as a driver’s license, work permit, passport, travel permit, or similar documentation. Additionally, you’ll want to have payment ready once your exam is complete.

Check with your nearby urgent care or walk-in clinic provider to see what their rates are for exams. Also check with your insurance provider to see if exams are covered under your policy. If not, make sure to have enough on you for the self-pay rate of the exam.