Starting October 1, every person applying for a green card needs to present proof of full vaccination with the Covid-19 vaccine. This includes people who are applying for refugee status or to become a lawful permanent resident. Proof of vaccination needs to be presented to the civil surgeon who carries out the immigration medical examination before they cans sign Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, which proves that potential migrants are not inadmissible to the US on public health grounds. To count as fully vaccinated, the applicant must have received both doses of Pfizer of Moderna or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine.
An applicant may arrive to their medical examination if they have only received their first vaccine dose, but they must schedule another appointment after they have received their second dose before the doctor can sign Form I-693. They can also be excused from the vaccination requirement if they have a medical reason they cannot be vaccinated, they are too young to receive the vaccine, and if the vaccine is not widely available in their location. If one of these is applicable, the examining doctor can indicate on the form that a blanket waiver from the Covid vaccination requirement is being applied. If the applicant has moral or religious objections to the vaccine they can file Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility. In addition, anyone who already completed form I-693 prior to October 1 does not need to get the Covid-19 vaccine as long their medical examination is still valid.
The Covid vaccine requirement is an addition to the existing list of vaccines which are required in order to get a Green Card. Additional required vaccines include those for tetanus, the flu, hepatitis, diphtheria, rubella, and more. All of these vaccines protect against diseases which can potentially cause a disease outbreak in the US or are for an illness which the US has eliminated or mostly eliminated domestically.
For more resources about required vaccines, you can visit: https://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/panel-physicians/vaccinations.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fimmigrantrefugeehealth%2Fexams%2Fti%2Fpanel%2Fvaccination-panel-technical-instructions.html#tbl1
For the official press release about the Covid-19 vaccination requirement, visit: https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/covid-19-vaccination-required-for-immigration-medical-examinations
