Applying for US postdoctoral fellowships - visa question

[psychkc91]

Hi all - I was wondering if anyone can provide some insight on applying to US postdoctoral clinical psychology fellowships as a Canadian citizen.

I am wondering:
- Is it possible for Canadians to apply for US postdoctoral training positions?
- If so, is obtaining a visa difficult? What type of visa is typically used, J-1 and/or TN visas?
- Would sites favor US applicants over Canadian applicants because of the visa application requirements?
- Anything else you think is worthwhile to consider

Any information or resources regarding my questions are much appreciated, thank you!

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[WisNeuro]

Not sure about postdoc, but my roommate was a Canadian citizen doing her grad training and internship in the US. You wouldn't be eligible for many federal positions, which makes the pool much smaller, though.

 

[psychkc91]

Not sure about postdoc, but my roommate was a Canadian citizen doing her grad training and internship in the US. You wouldn't be eligible for many federal positions, which makes the pool much smaller, though.

Thank you!

 

[psych.meout]

Not sure about postdoc, but my roommate was a Canadian citizen doing her grad training and internship in the US. You wouldn't be eligible for many federal positions, which makes the pool much smaller, though.

I've heard that it depends on where the funding comes from. A friend of mine is an international student applying for internship now and she is eligible for consortia that include federal facilities as training rotations as long as her pay as an intern doesn't come from the government.

Is this accurate?

 

[WisNeuro]

I've heard that it depends on where the funding comes from. A friend of mine is an international student applying for internship now and she is eligible for consortia that include federal facilities as training rotations as long as her pay as an intern doesn't come from the government.

Is this accurate?

It's possible, worth checking into. May be why VA positions are off limits as they are nearly all federal budget items.

 

[Psygresse]

As a Canadian who trained in the US, I'm not sure whether there is a visa appropriate for a clinical postdoc, other than post-completion OPT for international students who completed their degree in the US.

J-1 would be appropriate for a research postdoc, but doesn't allow for direct patient care. TN is straightforward for work once you are licensed, but wouldn't be an option for postdoc as the psychologist classification does require a license.

Here's a link to a presentation about internship/postdoc for international students that discusses the constraints of different visa types in this context: https://www.appic.org/Portals/0/2018 Conference/2018_APPIC_Presentation_Hwang_Hurley.pdf

 

[psychkc91]

As a Canadian who trained in the US, I'm not sure whether there is a visa appropriate for a clinical postdoc, other than post-completion OPT for international students who completed their degree in the US.

J-1 would be appropriate for a research postdoc, but doesn't allow for direct patient care. TN is straightforward for work once you are licensed, but wouldn't be an option for postdoc as the psychologist classification does require a license.

Here's a link to a presentation about internship/postdoc for international students that discusses the constraints of different visa types in this context: https://www.appic.org/Portals/0/2018 Conference/2018_APPIC_Presentation_Hwang_Hurley.pdf

This is very helpful, thank you!