After J1 Visa Residency...?

[Blitz2006]

Quick question,

I'm a dual citizen, British-Canadian, doing med school in the UK. After Meds, if I choose to do residency on J1 Visa, do I have to come back to the UK for my 2 years out, or can I go practice in Canada?

I did some reading, and it states that after completion of residency in the U.S, I have to leave the States for 2 years. Some places it says "home country", other places it says "place of last permanent residence".

So my home country would be Canada...but obviously my last place of PR would be the UK...

Also after the 2 years outside of the States, when I want to return to America, do I have to re-apply for H1B visa. Or can I look into hospitals that would sponsor me for Green Card? How realistic is it for me to return to the U.S after my 2 years out?

TIA,

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[halifax]

Once u r done with your residency you can go on to do a fellowship if you are so inclined - more options and easier to compete for fellowship on a J than on H visa....and once you are done you can either stay away in your home country or any other country outside USA. If you want to avoid this you can get a job in designated J visa waiver areas of the country which are medically underserved or underdeveloped or a combination of both.....hope this helps.

 

[Blitz2006]

Once u r done with your residency you can go on to do a fellowship if you are so inclined - more options and easier to compete for fellowship on a J than on H visa....and once you are done you can either stay away in your home country or any other country outside USA. If you want to avoid this you can get a job in designated J visa waiver areas of the country which are medically underserved or underdeveloped or a combination of both.....hope this helps.

It does help, thanks Halifax.

Couple follow up questions though:

1) After I do a fellowship, I'll still have to return to my home country for 2 years. After those 2 years are up, how realistic would it be for me to come back to the States as an attending? Does it depend on speciality? Would I look into sponsorship for H1b or Green Card?

2) If I choose to do J1-Waiver (3 years), after the waiver period is up, will I be eligble for GC? How does Post J1-Waiver period work?

Thanks again

 

[Blitz2006]

Hey guys,

So I'm thinking if I do residency, to maybe match on J1 Visa (as non-American citizen). I went on the Conrad 30 site, and I saw that the waivers are heavily geared towards primary care.

If I decide to do GSurg, do you think I would be screwed if i tried finding a waiver after my residency? My fear is to be done residency, and then be 'unemployed',

Do you think I'm better off just trying for Internal Meds instead?

TIA

 

[McGillGrad]

1. Yes, the J visa requires you to leave after education is complete. You would need a company to sponsor you for a H1B visa and it will be possible. H1B leads to a greencard (if you so choose).

2. The purpose of the program is progression to a green card.

It does help, thanks Halifax.

Couple follow up questions though:

1) After I do a fellowship, I'll still have to return to my home country for 2 years. After those 2 years are up, how realistic would it be for me to come back to the States as an attending? Does it depend on speciality? Would I look into sponsorship for H1b or Green Card?

2) If I choose to do J1-Waiver (3 years), after the waiver period is up, will I be eligble for GC? How does Post J1-Waiver period work?

Thanks again

 

[NotAProgDirector]

The answer to your first question, "which country would I need to go back to", is whichever is the one that "sponsors" your J visa. That will usually be your country of current residence, the UK in this case. If you get a J visa with a Letter of Need from the UK, and then after finishing go to canada to work, none of that time will count towards your 2 year requirement (or so I believe)

 

[Blitz2006]

The answer to your first question, "which country would I need to go back to", is whichever is the one that "sponsors" your J visa. That will usually be your country of current residence, the UK in this case. If you get a J visa with a Letter of Need from the UK, and then after finishing go to canada to work, none of that time will count towards your 2 year requirement (or so I believe)

Thx for that,

So wait, u're saying that if I decide to go to the States on J1 visa, I have to return to the UK for 2 years? I can't return to Canada?

Interesting

 

[sam1999]

Being an FMG you need to have ECFMG certificate before rank order list and in order to have ECFMG certificate you need to have your MBBch diploma in hand. It takes few weeks (depending upon school and speed of cummunication) to get ECFMG certificate once you have finished your medical school and passed all USMLEs.

For most FMGs it would mean there is a gap of any where few months to 1 year from date of graduation to match in USA. Unless you graduate in Jan of the match year had finished all exam and able to get ECFMG certificate before rank submission date plus able to convince all PDs that you will complete all this stuff before rank order deadline.

So you can move from UK to Canada after finishing your school and before start of residency and then Canada will be your place of last residence. I don't know what is the criteria for place of residence other than residential address, may be some sort of job, driving license etc. In that case you case you can get your letter of need from Canada and move back to Canada once you have finished your residency.

 

[sam1999]

Can one practice in Canada after finishing residency here in USA?

 

[halifax]

Blitz,

1. regarding doing a fellowship on J visa you can and once you are done with it if you want to stay on you will have to find a waiver job for a certain no of years (is it 3 or 5?) - these are economically and health care provider wise considered backwards eg would be places like parts of louisiana and alabama etc. some areas outside and near chicago and seatlle also comes under this. Practically every state has such designated areas but the catch is in these places you can only do primary care like internal medicine,pedeatrics,FP etc. so if you are a say cardiologist you are stuck...some people just suck it up and do the required primary care and than move out to a regular employer willing to process a green card on their behalf.

2, As far going back to the country which sponsored your J visa well I know of atleast one person for sure - he is an Indian trained in UK before coming here and did rad onc fellowship here on J and went back to UK for the waiver period and than came back to US.

3. If you are a UK citizen my guess is that it would be much more easier to apply for a green card while you are doing your residency as not many immmigrate to US from UK nowadays. It should be processed in a few months is my best guess and my advice would be consult a good immigration lawyer.

Hope this helps.

 

[McGillGrad]

Can one practice in Canada after finishing residency here in USA?

Yes, but only after taking 2-3 licensing exams (depending on the province) and fulfilling all licensing requirements, specifically the ones pertaining to your education and residency. It is a lengthy process.

 

[Surgical FMG]

hang on a minute.. i just want to be clear and make sure of things.

you guys are saying.. say someone is on a J1 visa doing a categorical residency... after he/she finishes the 5-yr residency, he/she can stay in USA for fellowship training with no troubles whatsoever?

or does he/she need to get a J1-waiver.

"return to home country at end of training" does leave a lot to imagination. "end of training" to some may mean completion of residency, but to some., like me, it means the end of another 1-2 years of fellowship training AFTER residency. (e.g. pediatric or plastic surgery after gen surg residency) because they are quite different fields entirely and without those 1-2yrs, ure not anywhere close to being called a pediatric surgeon, or plastics, or CT for that matter

 

[McGillGrad]

It is my understanding that the J1 visa can be extended to include a fellowship that immediately follows your residency training. Nonetheless, you must leave after the fellowship concludes.

The maximum would probably be 5 yrs of residency followed by a 3-4 year fellowship.

hang on a minute.. i just want to be clear and make sure of things.

you guys are saying.. say someone is on a J1 visa doing a categorical residency... after he/she finishes the 5-yr residency, he/she can stay in USA for fellowship training with no troubles whatsoever?

or does he/she need to get a J1-waiver.

"return to home country at end of training" does leave a lot to imagination. "end of training" to some may mean completion of residency, but to some., like me, it means the end of another 1-2 years of fellowship training AFTER residency. (e.g. pediatric or plastic surgery after gen surg residency) because they are quite different fields entirely and without those 1-2yrs, ure not anywhere close to being called a pediatric surgeon, or plastics, or CT for that matter

 

[Surgical FMG]

It is my understanding that the J1 visa can be extended to include a fellowship that immediately follows your residency training. Nonetheless, you must leave after the fellowship concludes.

The maximum would probably be 5 yrs of residency followed by a 3-4 year fellowship.

that is sweet... another query i had was whether someone on J1 doing prelim surgery can continue to stay in USA for categorical (if he/she is successful on matching the 2nd try) on J1. i seem to recall someone on SDN saying that is thhe drawback of J1 prelim -- not being able to stay on J1 after prelim... on the other hand, a residency coordinator just replied me saying it is possible to stay...

if thats the case, then there is really no issue with getting a J1..over a H1B. since most programs sponsor J1 anyway.. hence the OP's question in the 1st place.

another thing was, since almost all programs want their AMGs to take step 3 by PGY1, do IMG/FMGs need to do so? if they do it, does it affect their J1 visa?

 

[Crazy Diamond]

it is really complicated ...if your decisions in visa selection are so paramount at this time you need to check with a lawyer an immegration attoerny

chek out this fella carl schustermann, he is a california immegartion lawyer
I saw a video lecture where he spoke so much about the j waivers it is bound to be somewhere on youtube or something. I have saw it on the video lecture sect ion of the kaplan q bank ifyou have accessto that it

http://www.shusterman.com/

worth checking out at least I guess

GL

 

[smq123]

Merged the OP's two threads (which were on similar and related topics).

 

[NotAProgDirector]

So wait, u're saying that if I decide to go to the States on J1 visa, I have to return to the UK for 2 years? I can't return to Canada?

After completing your training, you can go anywhere you like. However, only returning to the country that issued your Letter of Need starts the 2 year clock for a new work visa in the US. So, you can return to canada but you just won't be able to get a US work visa until you return to the UK for 2 years (again, assuming the LON comes from the UK and not Canada)

Being an FMG you need to have ECFMG certificate before rank order list and in order to have ECFMG certificate you need to have your MBBch diploma in hand.

Not exactly. You do need your diploma to get an ECFMG certificate. However, in order to submit a ROL, all you need is step 1 and 2CK/CS completed and plan to graduate from medical school by July 1st. That's all the NRMP requires. Some programs apparently require your ECFMG certificate be in hand before they will interview you -- that's a decision that each program makes independently.

You will need the ECFMG certificate to get a visa, so it's important to get it early enough to allow for visa processing. That's why some PD's insist on the ECFMG before interviewing, or for ranking.

If you are a UK citizen my guess is that it would be much more easier to apply for a green card while you are doing your residency as not many immmigrate to US from UK nowadays. It should be processed in a few months is my best guess and my advice would be consult a good immigration lawyer.

You will not be able to get a GC unless you have an H1b visa, or some other pathway (spouse, lottery, etc). If you get a J visa, then none of these pathways will work short of the waiver program mentioned above. You can't simply apply for a GC.

you guys are saying.. say someone is on a J1 visa doing a categorical residency... after he/she finishes the 5-yr residency, he/she can stay in USA for fellowship training with no troubles whatsoever?

Correct. You can extend your J for a fellowship. The only problem is that some fellowship PD's have become leary of residents on J visas, worried that they will bolt when offered a waiver job (I have seen this happen).

The maximum would probably be 5 yrs of residency followed by a 3-4 year fellowship.

J visas are limited to a maximum of 7 years.

that is sweet... another query i had was whether someone on J1 doing prelim surgery can continue to stay in USA for categorical (if he/she is successful on matching the 2nd try) on J1. i seem to recall someone on SDN saying that is thhe drawback of J1 prelim -- not being able to stay on J1 after prelim... on the other hand, a residency coordinator just replied me saying it is possible to stay...

This happens all the time, and is no problem.

another thing was, since almost all programs want their AMGs to take step 3 by PGY1, do IMG/FMGs need to do so? if they do it, does it affect their J1 visa?

Each program can set their own guidelines around Step 3. In some states, you need a full license as a PGY-2 or 3 and hence Step 3 becomes absolutely required. Regardless, IMG/FMG's will be under the same rules. Step 3 has nothing to do with a J visa, even if you fail it your visa is fine. Most IMG's would need to pass Step 3 before getting an H1b, hence why many take this exam long before starting residency at all.

 

[Blitz2006]

Halifax, Aprogramdirector,

Thanks so much for your responses, very helpful.

I'm just a bit confused as to which country I can go back to after J1 Visa.

And this is crucial for me, because it basically determines if I do IM or GSurg, since IM = H1b, J1 = GSurg.

Basically, I was born in the UK, moved to Canada when I was 5, did all my schooling + BScH in Canada, and am now living in the UK as a medical student.

And yes, I'm a dual British-Canadian citizen. So even though I'm 'living' in the UK, most of my major stuff is Canada. As in, my permanent address, Drivers License, where my parents live = Canada. So would Canada give me a Letter of Need, even though I did my medicine in the UK?

This is important, because I looked into the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, and apparently they recognize USMLE/American Board certification. Therefore, if I do J1, I can then swing back to Toronto or whatever for a couple years, and then hopefully swing back to the States.

However, if my Letter of Need is from the UK, I'm pretty sure its much tougher for me to swing back to the UK after residency (not sure if American training is recognized by the brits). So I'm pretty sure I might be dumped with something like Registrar or even Intern because I dont have GMC License, etc.

So if I can go back to Canada for the 2 year period, thats what I want ideally.

Thanks guys, and sorry if I'm asking something that has already been answered in this thread.

 

[McGillGrad]

It's not difficult to understand. Whichever country issues the J1 is the country to which you must return.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

The OP's question is: would they be eligible for a Canadian Statement Of Need given their circumstances (grew up in Canada, went to school in UK).

The answer is yes. First, lots of Canadians go to the Carib and then get J visas for the US, and your situation is no different than theirs.

Second, you can read all about it right here. You'll be looking at "Category B".

Of course, the rules could change at any moment if either the US or Canada changes their mind.

 

[Blitz2006]

The OP's question is: would they be eligible for a Canadian Statement Of Need given their circumstances (grew up in Canada, went to school in UK).

The answer is yes. First, lots of Canadians go to the Carib and then get J visas for the US, and your situation is no different than theirs.

Second, you can read all about it right here. You'll be looking at "Category B".

Of course, the rules could change at any moment if either the US or Canada changes their mind.

Sweet, that link you posted is what I've been looking for.

Cheers aProgDirector,

 

[UBCvan]

Yes, but only after taking 2-3 licensing exams (depending on the province) and fulfilling all licensing requirements, specifically the ones pertaining to your education and residency. It is a lengthy process.

let's say you do you residency in internal medicine and fellowship in cardiology in US as a Canadian. So when you're coming back to Canada, can you practice as a cardiologist after all the licensing? so does it depend on what residency you do?

because i've seen people having done competitive residencies in their countries (not US) and when come to canada they become FPs. what's this all about? I've also seen that they have to redo their residency?

 

[McGillGrad]

let's say you do you residency in internal medicine and fellowship in cardiology in US as a Canadian. So when you're coming back to Canada, can you practice as a cardiologist after all the licensing? so does it depend on what residency you do?

because i've seen people having done competitive residencies in their countries (not US) and when come to canada they become FPs. what's this all about? I've also seen that they have to redo their residency?

The US and Canada have equivalent training according to each respective licensing body. Therefore, as long as the number of training years are equal (since a couple of specialities vary, a year or two, between countries), then you are qualified in both countries. The only stipulation, as of last year, is that you must pass the MCCEE to practice in Canada no matter where you train.

Things are changing very quickly in Canada, so my info may be outdated already.