non-US citizen having finished med school in US and applying to residency?

[UBCvan]

hey guys,

i'm a Canadian citizen and seriously considering attending a medical school in the US....I would really like to stay in the US and practice there...

so here i have some Qs:

1)would I be at a disadvantage when applying to competitive residencies?(having finished my med school in US)

2)what if I have my PR card and still not a citizen? because you can get your PR really fast whereas citizenship takes time.

3)can I practice as a physician in the US as a non-US citizen?

4)i was thinking that since I AM sure I want to stay in the US, isn't it better to apply for my US citizenship as soon as i get accepted to med school so by the time I'm applying to residencies I have my citizenship?

inputs appreciated...

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[UBCvan]

no one?

 

[b-real]

no one?

This is a forum for premeds (i.e. they know nothing). You should try the residency forums http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=35. Good luck!

 

[UBCvan]

This is a forum for premeds (i.e. they know nothing). You should try the residency forums http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=35. Good luck!

i originally posted it on Allopathic forum and the moderator moved it here...

so i guess i try that as well, thanks

 

[fMRI]

3)can I practice as a physician in the US as a non-US citizen?

4)i was thinking that since I AM sure I want to stay in the US, isn't it better to apply for my US citizenship as soon as i get accepted to med school so by the time I'm applying to residencies I have my citizenship?

inputs appreciated...

Don't know about Q4 (how applying for Citizenship works for Canadians) but the answer to Q3 is straightforward: As of now, yes you can, you just need to hold a proper visa or obtain "permanent resident" status ("residency" here is the legal term for living in the US, not the training). I know a few international MDs who work with H1B visas or are permant residents (maintaining their passports from their countries of origin). Most of them have tons of publications and are recognized in their respective fields, but I gather that less prestigious training programs might arrange for H1B status for less outstanding candidates. New York State (and a few others) have special mandates, please keep that in mind.

I hope this is a start.

 

[sportsfreak]

if you have Permanent residency card then u are all set, with a PR card you have all the rights that citizens have except for the voting

 

[UBCvan]

Don't know about Q4 (how applying for Citizenship works for Canadians) but the answer to Q3 is straightforward: As of now, yes you can, you just need to hold a proper visa or obtain "permanent resident" status ("residency" here is the legal term for living in the US, not the training). I know a few international MDs who work with H1B visas or are permant residents (maintaining their passports from their countries of origin). Most of them have tons of publications and are recognized in their respective fields, but I gather that less prestigious training programs might arrange for H1B status for less outstanding candidates. New York State (and a few others) have special mandates, please keep that in mind.

I hope this is a start.

Thanks for the great response.

 

[UBCvan]

if you have Permanent residency card then u are all set, with a PR card you have all the rights that citizens have except for the voting

Well that's exactly same here in canada. Thanks for the assurance. The good thing about PR card is that you can get it fairly fast as opposed to citizenship card that takes years.