Connecting Civil Surgeons with the Attorneys Who Need Them.
The Pro Bono Civil Surgeon Registry (PCSR) is a national directory of USCIS-designated civil surgeons who have volunteered to provide I-693 medical exams at no cost or reduced fees for immigrant youth and adults seeking adjustment of status. Legal service providers access the directory and coordinate appointments with civil surgeons directly.
A narrow window has opened for thousands of immigrant youth.
In April 2026, the U.S. Department of State’s Visa Bulletin advanced the EB-4 Final Action Date to July 15, 2022, and USCIS began accepting I-485 filings under the Dates for Filing chart for priority dates before January 1, 2023. This has opened a window in which hundreds of Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJ) youth and other eligible immigrants can file applications for lawful permanent residence. The State Department has warned that retrogression may occur later this fiscal year, and this window may close without warning.
Every adjustment of status application requires a completed Form I-693 medical examination, which can only be performed by a physician designated by USCIS as a civil surgeon. Every I-485 must include a completed I-693 at filing or it risks rejection. For youth and adults whose legal representation is pro bono, the cost of this exam — typically several hundred dollars, paid out of pocket — is often the last practical barrier between a completed application and a missed deadline.
PCSR exists to close that gap.
The Coalition
PCSR is developed by the Midwest Human Rights Consortium in partnership with the Acacia Center for Justice, the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, and the End SIJS Backlog Coalition.A simple bridge between two communities.
PCSR is a self-service directory. PCSR does not host clinical appointments, collect fees, store medical records, or broker individual referrals. We maintain the directory. Attorneys and civil surgeons coordinate with one another directly.
Civil surgeons enroll
USCIS-designated civil surgeons submit a short form indicating their practice location, languages spoken, specialties, and the fee arrangements they can offer.
Attorneys request access
Legal service providers representing low-income immigrant clients request access to the directory for their jurisdiction.
Directory access granted
Once the requesting organization is verified, attorneys receive access to the directory of participating civil surgeons — with practice location, contact information, languages, ages served, and fee arrangements.
Attorneys contact directly
Attorneys identify a suitable civil surgeon in the directory and contact the practice directly to schedule. The civil surgeon conducts the I-693 exam; legal teams complete the filing.
Two doors into the same registry.
Civil Surgeons
If you hold a USCIS civil surgeon designation and can offer pro bono, sliding-scale, or reduced-fee I-693 exams — even a limited number per year — your participation meaningfully expands access for the clients served by legal aid organizations nationwide.
Legal Service Providers
If your organization represents immigrant clients in SIJS, asylum, U visa, T visa, VAWA, or adjustment-of-status cases, you can request access to the directory to identify civil surgeons offering pro bono exams in your clients’ area and coordinate appointments directly.
