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IMG Question/Marriage/This is complex :)
Started by DialAView
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This assumes that you are a US citizen or permanent resident.
1. The FASTEST and most guaranteed option is a K1 (fiancee) visa (as short as 6 months). To apply, you need to submit proof of an ongoing relationship (photos, plane tickets, letters, emails, etc), proof of US citizen's income or financial sponsorship from a willing party if you have no income (usually US citizen's family). Once the visa is obtained, you must get legally married in the US.
2. Getting a residency - Step 1, Step 2 CK and CS, Step 3, and the residency application process will take longer (I'd say minimum 2 years, if not 3 or 4) and there is no sure guarantee of getting a residency. Once the residency is obtained through the Match, the residency must sponsor the non-US citizen typically for a J1 visa. You have to GET A JOB before getting this.
3. Research fellowship - I think, though I'm not absolutely certain, that these are usually done on J1 visas sponsored by the research institution (typically a university or hospital). Dependent upon actually submitting a CV and applying for research positions. Again, you have to GET A JOB before you get this visa.
4. Getting married in Poland - This would be the K3 (spouse) visa. Note that it takes LONGER (9 months to 1.5 years, maybe) than the K1 (fiancee) visa.
So.... K1 is easiest, most guaranteed, and fastest. K3 or a research job are probably second fastest. Waiting for a residency will take the longest.
Note that if applying for a J1 under sponsorship by an employer, hospital or university, the applicant will be asked whether they have any romantic relationships with someone in the US. The applicant is expected to say NO, otherwise there is a possibility that the J1 application will be rejected. Up to you to figure out how to get around that. ;-)
1. The FASTEST and most guaranteed option is a K1 (fiancee) visa (as short as 6 months). To apply, you need to submit proof of an ongoing relationship (photos, plane tickets, letters, emails, etc), proof of US citizen's income or financial sponsorship from a willing party if you have no income (usually US citizen's family). Once the visa is obtained, you must get legally married in the US.
2. Getting a residency - Step 1, Step 2 CK and CS, Step 3, and the residency application process will take longer (I'd say minimum 2 years, if not 3 or 4) and there is no sure guarantee of getting a residency. Once the residency is obtained through the Match, the residency must sponsor the non-US citizen typically for a J1 visa. You have to GET A JOB before getting this.
3. Research fellowship - I think, though I'm not absolutely certain, that these are usually done on J1 visas sponsored by the research institution (typically a university or hospital). Dependent upon actually submitting a CV and applying for research positions. Again, you have to GET A JOB before you get this visa.
4. Getting married in Poland - This would be the K3 (spouse) visa. Note that it takes LONGER (9 months to 1.5 years, maybe) than the K1 (fiancee) visa.
So.... K1 is easiest, most guaranteed, and fastest. K3 or a research job are probably second fastest. Waiting for a residency will take the longest.
Note that if applying for a J1 under sponsorship by an employer, hospital or university, the applicant will be asked whether they have any romantic relationships with someone in the US. The applicant is expected to say NO, otherwise there is a possibility that the J1 application will be rejected. Up to you to figure out how to get around that. ;-)
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btw, she can take Step 1,2,3 and apply for residency AFTER entering the US on another visa. In fact, the opportunities to do this might be even better after she's already been in the country.
As you can see, getting US residence by marrying a US citizen is actually much easier and faster than getting a US medical residency. You'll have an easier time if you do NOT mix immigration with the Match. Life will be easier if she immigrates, THEN goes through the Match. Not the other way around. Good luck!
As you can see, getting US residence by marrying a US citizen is actually much easier and faster than getting a US medical residency. You'll have an easier time if you do NOT mix immigration with the Match. Life will be easier if she immigrates, THEN goes through the Match. Not the other way around. Good luck!
DialAView said:
I would skip both and do a year of research in America.
Failing that... either or. Perhaps anything done in the UK would be fractionally better if only for the practice of English. It still won't count.
Agree with the above. If she wants to get a US residency in ANY specialty, her chances will be improved by doing some clinical or benchtop work here in the US. Besides, that means you can get married and she can study here for the exams needed to apply for a US residency.
This would be much easier than being apart for longer, her doing some research or an internship out of the US either of which would be negligible in helping her get a US residency (US experience would be much more helpful).
This would be much easier than being apart for longer, her doing some research or an internship out of the US either of which would be negligible in helping her get a US residency (US experience would be much more helpful).
I would say do the following:
She has to have a yr internship- somewhere- its otherwise hard to attaing residency in the US as an IMG. If her residency in Poland would allow her to do 6 mos or something of them in a US hosp, all the better. Otherwise, just get it outta the way.
-Have her study the usmle's during internship. Step 1, 2CK are given overseas no prob, in computer centers there. She could finish those in a yr with some work.
-Then, apply for her Fiancee/Marriage visa (or during that yr since it takes forever), which she could use to come do her CS and Step 3 exam.
-You cannot work with a Fiancee or Marriage visa (as far as I know), so when she applies for residency she should ask the university/hosp to provide her with the H visa. J visas they send you back after work. H visas (i cant' remember which H u'll have to look it up) they don't. And of course apply for her green card- whichever comes first.
http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html
She has to have a yr internship- somewhere- its otherwise hard to attaing residency in the US as an IMG. If her residency in Poland would allow her to do 6 mos or something of them in a US hosp, all the better. Otherwise, just get it outta the way.
-Have her study the usmle's during internship. Step 1, 2CK are given overseas no prob, in computer centers there. She could finish those in a yr with some work.
-Then, apply for her Fiancee/Marriage visa (or during that yr since it takes forever), which she could use to come do her CS and Step 3 exam.
-You cannot work with a Fiancee or Marriage visa (as far as I know), so when she applies for residency she should ask the university/hosp to provide her with the H visa. J visas they send you back after work. H visas (i cant' remember which H u'll have to look it up) they don't. And of course apply for her green card- whichever comes first.
http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html
You CAN work after entering the country with a K1 or K3 (fiancee or spouse) visa -- what you have to do, after getting legally married, is apply for a work permit (I think the permit is called EAD but I don't remember for certain). It may take a few months for the permit to get issued. After getting married, you will be issued a greencard within 1-1.5 years, which also allows you to work. But the work permit will cover you during the time between getting married and being issued a greencard.
But bottom line is:
1) K1 is the fastest and most guaranteed way to ensure you are actually able to marry and live together. (I just did it, it took us 5 months from mailing the first forms in to getting issued the visa. Easy peasy, although it takes some time to put the package together. And the best part is you can do this any time you want -- even if it takes her 3 years to take USMLEs, interview, and land a residency.)
2) Waiting to secure a US medical residency and have the hospital sponsor you for a work visa is the slowest and least guaranteed way to ensure you are actually able to marry and live together.
I wouldn't waste time with the Polish internship and would even seriously consider not wasting time on the UK one. Even if she doesn't match the first year she tries, she can scramble into a one-year internship (surgery, medicine or transitional) in the US, which is NOT that hard especially if willing to consider surgery prelims as well, and re-apply the following year.
I would get married whenever it's appropriate (K1 visa), and go through the residency match whenever she's able. It would really suck to hinge getting married and being together on whether she's able to get a residency.
But bottom line is:
1) K1 is the fastest and most guaranteed way to ensure you are actually able to marry and live together. (I just did it, it took us 5 months from mailing the first forms in to getting issued the visa. Easy peasy, although it takes some time to put the package together. And the best part is you can do this any time you want -- even if it takes her 3 years to take USMLEs, interview, and land a residency.)
2) Waiting to secure a US medical residency and have the hospital sponsor you for a work visa is the slowest and least guaranteed way to ensure you are actually able to marry and live together.
I wouldn't waste time with the Polish internship and would even seriously consider not wasting time on the UK one. Even if she doesn't match the first year she tries, she can scramble into a one-year internship (surgery, medicine or transitional) in the US, which is NOT that hard especially if willing to consider surgery prelims as well, and re-apply the following year.
I would get married whenever it's appropriate (K1 visa), and go through the residency match whenever she's able. It would really suck to hinge getting married and being together on whether she's able to get a residency.
DialAView said:
Obviously her not matching is the risk you take. However, unless you plan on staying in the UK to work, going to all the trouble of obtaining a specialty training position there as a IMG (which you would be having gone to medical school in the US) and taking the considerable risk that you would not be eligible to work in the US as a physician without repeating a US residency, sounds like a big risk to me (for you).
There should be no reason why she couldn't do well on the USMLE with adequate study. If her chances of working are greatly increased by doing the 1 year internship in Poland, then perhaps she should do that which would increase her chances of working as a physician in POLAND. This of course, assumes that you would be willing to move there (or wherever her training would be accepted). Fact is the US is more friendly to foreign medical grads than just about any other country out there - chances are it will be easier for her to move here and train than for you to attempt the same abroad.
DialAView said:
Read the UK's General Medical Council and British Medical Association web sites. US-->UK is equally if not more intimidating than Poland-->US. However, if the bridges to a US residency are already burned, then you have to do what you have to do. It helps to have completed residency and be already boarded in your specialty, as the UK has no shortage of un-trained doctors -- they have a shortage of consultants (attendings), NOT house officers and SpR's (of which there are too many and more from India, Pakistan, etc trying to get these training positions). Regardless, some re-training is usually required although the number of years is dependent upon the specialty (specialties that have a provider shortage will let you skip a number of years). You can do it... but it still may take years to complete your move.
I think you're probably planning too far ahead. We went through the entire process of trying to find research positions, postdocs, industry jobs, etc for H1 or J1 sponsorship before giving up and realizing K1 is truly the simplest, fastest, and most secure way to do the move. If you're not ready to suck it up and do the K1 yet, then she has nothing to lose by taking the USMLE's -- you've already taken Step 1 (I presume), you can help her find a good study schedule and the right study materials to prepare for the exam. If possible she should probably study the way American students study for Step 1 -- we've all done it, we all use the tried-and-tested ways to prepare, and we have a higher pass rate than FMG's probably for those reasons.
Assume she'll pass (you don't doubt her, do you? 😉 ) and get a residency. This is specialty dependent -- with internal medicine for example, that should not be a problem. If it's a competitive specialty like derm, then she needs a back-up choice. The only catch is that she may not have her choice of residencies in extremely popular locations (San Francisco, New York, etc).
If USMLE is the priority, then I would take whatever job allows the TIME to study extensively for them. That might be the research job in Poland. What she does pre-US really doesn't count for the match, so it makes no difference unless there's a location preference or a lifestyle preference.
