h1b to green card

[BMSc2DO]

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Hi all, I am wondering how the timing works for Canadian students on an H1B visa wanting to obtain a green card. From what I understand your employer must sponsor you the green card, but according to this site, http://www.h1base.com/visa/work/OPT to H1B Visa/ref/1264, green card processing can take up to a few years. Does this mean we have to find an employer who is willing to sponsor a green card 2-3 years before we finish residency (in order to start working as a physician in the US immediately after residency completion)? Or can we finish residency on the H1B and then look for employers willing to sponsor a green card? How does this transition work?

Thank you

 

[jordi]

I looked into this for myself, and although I decided to return home once my 6 yrs on H1B runs out, I remember a bit about how it would have worked.
As long as the green card application is filed 12 months before the H1B expires, the H1B can be extended beyond the limit for as long as it takes to get a green card (can be as long as 5 or 6 years according to my hospital's lawyers). There are a few extra steps that can take a few months before the application can be submitted, so to be safe the process should be started 1.5-2 years before the end of an H1B.
When I looked at this, I would have been staying with the same hospital, but I believe your H1B can be transferred to another institution, provided that if you got the visa outside of the cap, your new employer must also be exempt from the cap. So depending on how long you have left on H1B, you could work on that status for awhile before applying for a green card.

 

[BMSc2DO]

Thanks for the reply. So what happens if I do a residency on an H1B visa in a location or at an institution that I do not want to practice in? For example, if I am in a 4 year residency in State A on an H1B, but want to practice medicine in State B, how would this work? Do I have to find a future employer willing to sponsor me a green card in State B before my residency is even finished in State A? If I am fortunate enough to land a residency in State B at a desirable location, is it likely that the same institution sponsoring me an H1B will hire me after residency and sponsor me a green card? Is that unrealistic? Thank you for your help.