Job Discussion Forums

[haopengyou]

I just visited my doctor to get the physical required for the visa. He said that some of the lab work that they require is not commonly done in the U.S. because the conditions they are checking for are not common.

Has anyone had this physical exam recently? How did you manage this part of it? You can pm me if you want.

[reneebcc]

The medical exams are very extensive and expensive. If you don't have insurance it can cost up to $500 USD and you must have everything completed (lab work etc) in order to get the visa. Good luck!

[felton]

My doctor was astounded at what they want. He said he would sign off on the things that are unheard of, like cholera. I was wondering however, if that is a good thing. When you submit your paperwork for the medical, do you just send in the check off paper or the test results with the check off paper?

[reneebcc]

Good question! I am also completing my physical and was wondering about the last part of the checklist. When the doctor signs off what is the next step? On the bottom of the form, there is a section that needs to be completed by another official. Will a copy of my doctor's certificate suffice or will I need to send the complete form off to the state board to stamp and certify that he/she "IS" a licensed doctor?

[felton]

I found my answer after reading the medical form further:

"SUBMIT TO THE CONSULAR SECTION THREE ORIGINALS COPIES OF THIS MEDICAL REPORT AND TWO COPIES OF ALL RESULTS OF THE MEDICAL TESTS.
DO NOT SUBMIT X-RAYS AS THOSE MUST BE PRESENTED TO THE HEALTH AUTHORITIES IN SAUDI ARABIA ALONG WITH ONE CLEAR COPY OF THIS REPORT AND ALL TEST RESULTS"

ARGH!!

[leez]

just handled the medical part of the employment visa this week. what i have learned is that, yes, 3 original medical forms are required and to those are attached the lab results, so that part isn't really a biggie.

if your doc doesn't have a stamp (showing name, address, phone number), it is okay for him/her to write it in. same with the doc officiating over your doc.

this stapled packet of papers is included in with the rest of your visa docs.

easy, peezy, no?!

leez

[veiledsentiments]

Isn't "Original copies" an oxymoron?

[felton]

[Sheikh N Bake]

Yes, it's an oxymoron, but of course what they mean is you need to get your medical personnel to make three originals with three sets of original signatures and stamps and so on. My physical was $650 all told, but my company reimbursed me. I should think nearly all reputable employers will reimburse you for the US physical.

[leez]

besides the 3 'original copies' the medical form states 2 copies of lab results. when i spoke with the gal who will be going over my visa packet for completeness before submission, she said to place lab results behind the med forms and staple all together. she did not mention 2 sets of labs nor did i think to ask her, but i will when i'm ready to contact her. no doubt you, OP, have a contact person as well to verify # of copies n such?

off topic, but i want to comment on the $650. bill for all the labs. that amount of money would have had me scrambling. it's one thing to be reimbursed, it's another to have to pay up front! (no health insurance for this soul, but a stint in the military some time past allows me to use VA medical hospital services free of charge..grateful, grateful, grateful...)

xo

[reneebcc]

Yep it's true. I've spent about $600 on the physical. Your company should reimburse you. The process is tedious and can be a headache. That's why you should leave yourself one month to properly complete the exam. I wonder about the last portion on the form. Does it matter whether or not it's stamped by the hospital or can the doctor just fill in background information?

[leez]

[12 Monkeys]

veiledsentiments said

[El Chupacabra]

So glad you started this thread.

Doctor's part and chest x-rays are easy, but comprehensive lab tests are also hard for me to find. Best I can do is a lab in Las Vegas which can do all but bilharziasis for 900 dollars (and that's after offering a 20% discount for taking so many tests).

Frankly, I can see one month's salary being invested in order to have my bodily fluids and wastes scrutinized. My KSA institution has not offered reimbursement,

A minor rub: my blood pressure was through the roof on my first doctor's visit, and he said if it doesn't settle down on the post-lab visit, he may not approve me to work overseas anyway. It's this whole KSA physical exam and notarized document scramble that is keeping me frazzled.

So where can I get ALL the required tests, for $650 or even more? Please fess up. Because I really want to spend some time teaching in Saudi despite this hassle. And this hassle may drive me to some other country where they don't care about what comes out of my ass.

[Sheikh N Bake]

I forgot to mention that my $650 included Fedex charges from Houston to DC. as well as some other minor things that were not part of th ephysical, such as Harris County background check (in lieu of "police report")

My physical wasn't all that complicated. I don't see what the problem is. For heaven's sake, the extensive list of tests is not to be taken seriously; your physician should sign off on the silly ones, and you shouldn't be going directly to some lab; you should go through your GP. My blood work was done at my small local clinic in Houston. (I made sure I went there because I have a crush on my beautiful Vietnamese-American woman doctor, but that's for another thread in God knows what other forum). For the chest X ray they sent me to a large hospital for two required images and the Xrays were only about $39.

My physical should have been about $450 but I lied about my fasting blood test for blood sugar, having failed to fast, so I had to take it over again, paying again for the $60 clinic visit plus the blood sugar test (just a finger p rick).

All worth it just to see my angel Vietnamese doc again. Oh, sorry, never mind...sigh...