Obesity Is Not a Ground of Inadmissibility

Obesity is not a ground of inadmissibility under U.S. immigration law. The medical grounds of inadmissibility are limited to communicable diseases of public health significance, failure to have required vaccinations, physical or mental disorders with associated harmful behavior, and drug abuse or addiction. Body weight and BMI are not evaluated for immigration admissibility purposes.

BMI Is Not Evaluated for Admissibility

The civil surgeon does not calculate or evaluate your BMI as part of the immigration medical examination for admissibility purposes. While height and weight may be recorded as part of the standard physical examination, these measurements are not used to determine whether you are admissible to the United States.

What the Physical Exam Includes

The standard immigration physical examination includes:

• Vital signs: blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and respiratory rate
• General appearance and overall health assessment
• Head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat examination
• Cardiovascular examination
• Respiratory examination
• Abdominal examination
• Skin examination
• Neurological assessment
• Lymph node assessment

Conditions Associated With Obesity

If you have medical conditions associated with obesity — such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, or sleep apnea — these conditions are also not grounds of inadmissibility. You should disclose any known medical conditions honestly as part of your medical history review. See our individual articles on diabetes and hypertension for more information.