J1 health evaluation... a fun female health question

[jen_a_s]

Hi, my husband and I are waiting for our sponsor to send us a package of all the paperwork required for our J1 visas.
We are working under a really tight deadline, so I'm trying to figure out what to do re. the health evaluation before the package arrives. (getting an appointment with my doctor is like trying to get an audience with the pope. this could be our number one hurdle, never mind actually trying to cross the border )
I already had a physical in February 2009, but I know they require a form signed by my doctor... maybe this is tmi for some people, but does anyone know if I have to book "the works" (ie get another pap smear), or does the health evaluation not go into that much detail?
Thanks!

[Reba]

Don't you have to go to a certified panel physician for your immigration medical exam?

I'm not at all familiar with J visas, but when I moved to the US I had to go to a USCIS certified physician, I couldn't just go to my regular doctor.

You may want to re-check your paperwork and find that out for sure.

[Steven]

Why do you need a health examination for J-1? You apply at the POE with the DS-2019 (or in some cases there are other forms you need depending on what kind of J-1 it is) and the fee receipt. There's no visa for Canadians.

[jen_a_s]

Reba- I don't know what my paperwork says as it hasn't arrived yet. I was wondering if I could speed up the process more by booking an appointment with my doctor as soon as I could, and then bringing my paperwork along to the appointment... sounds like I should just sit tight until I have all of the info.

Steven- my husband will be an exchange teacher on a J-1 visa. The email we received from our teaching exchange program counsellor seemed to indicate we would need a physical and a visa. Maybe it's a standard 'your papers are on their way' email that they send to all clients, and they didn't tailor the message to reflect differences for Canadian clients, I don't know. I guess I will just have to be patient- thanks for the input.

[Steven]

Most non-immigrant categories for Canadians don't require medicals, K and V do but they're a prelude to family reunification.