Question for PDs and IMG residents: J1 visa, COVID, possible delays?

[Redpancreas]

I have an IMG colleague I plan to work with in residency coming from a foreign country to the US for residency. I am not an IMG, but wanted to know what the hurdles are with the visa process as it may affect professional deadlines, etc. He has already officially matched and has his residency contract in hand, but is mentioning ECFMG, J1 Visa, potential delays and said he should be here by late June but said it's not a guarantee. This has me asking some questions.

1.) Could someone briefly outline the steps to obtaining the J1 visa for medical residency purposes from when you decide you want to do US residency until July 1st?

2.) What are the major reasons for a delays (i.e. bottle necks, hurdles) from #1? I have witnessed several residents be up to a month delayed (PD made accomodations with vacation, etc.) past July 1st for "visa-related" issues. What are the main causes for this and what visas do these delays pertain to (H1B vs. J1)?

3.) Do any of you anticipate delays due to COVID-19 from a country that let's just say isn't a major epicenter right now?

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[NotAProgDirector]

1. Applicants send all of their information to the TPL (Training Program Liason) at the residency program they will be training at. TPL's usually have a very straightforward checklist process to make sure that all the information they need is submitted. Usually, the TPL submits all the documentation to ECFMG for processing. Most of the paperwork is fast/easy, the slowest parts are 1) ECFMG certification, which can only be obtained after the student has graduated and has a physical degree, and then it takes ~2 weeks to get ECFMG cert, and 2) a Statement of Need from their home country, which could take any amount of time depending on the country. Once that's all submitted, the student then logs into the system and pays the fees, and processing is usually quick after that. There's no appointment / interview needed unless the visa gets flagged in some way.

2. Can't get ECFMG certification until have diploma, so if graduation is not until May the whole process can't start until then.
SoN from home country could be instant or take forever. Need an original copy in a sealed envelope
If the person is currently in the US, there's a bit more paperwork needed (but usu does not slow down the process).
State dept processing times, which for unknown reasons were very slow last year.

3. No way to answer this. The only thing needed from other countries are the SoN.

 

[PeruvianMD]

Also, for any f1 USA med students going into J1, be careful with the timing. In my case I’m graduating on may 16 and then I’ll have my diploma to finish my ECFMG application. This gives me a very tight window to go back home, get the J1 visa from the embassy and come
back to start june 17. COVID and embassies closed are making this harder. There is also the option of staying in the US and file for a change in status from F1 to J1 but with covid that’s taking 6-12 months so going back home is the only feasible option.

 

[Redpancreas]

There's no appointment / interview needed unless the visa gets flagged in some way.

Based on what he is telling me, for the J1, an interview is mandatory and after that they make a decision for the visa approval which can take up to a few days to a few months. I also come across this:

10 Smart Tips to Confidently Answer J-1 Visa Interview Questions - Global Internships

Wondering about the questions you will get and the answers you should say in your upcoming J-1 visa interview? Learn what to expect so you can get ready.

www.globalinternships.com

"Almost every J-1 visa applicant will be required to undergo an interview before their visa can be approved. If an applicant is older than 13 but younger than 80, it will be mandatory. Canadian citizens are not required to schedule an interview.

The waiting time to get an appointment can vary greatly according to demand. That is why we recommend scheduling the interview as soon as you can after applying for your visa. To find out how long the wait time is for an interview appointment at your local U.S. Embassy or Consulate, you can visit the Visa Appointment Wait Times page."

and then:

U.S Visa Processing Times - How Long Does it Take? | US Visa Help

Information about the US visa processing times, how long does each nonimmigrant visa take to be processed and more relevant details.

visahelp.us.com

The J-1 visa for education and cultural exchange opportunities in the United States can take 1 to 4 months to process.


^I spoke to a couple IMGs that had their visa delayed and this is what happened with them which is why they arrived in August in lieu of July despite having everything done ahead of time.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Looks like I am wrong. Happens all the time.

 

[Redpancreas]

Looks like I am wrong. Happens all the time.

No worries, you spent a great deal of typing it out and a lot of what you did say was true. You'll be in position to help the next person who asks this. Thanks for all you do.

 

[thehundredthone]

I have an IMG colleague I plan to work with in residency coming from a foreign country to the US for residency. I am not an IMG, but wanted to know what the hurdles are with the visa process as it may affect professional deadlines, etc. He has already officially matched and has his residency contract in hand, but is mentioning ECFMG, J1 Visa, potential delays and said he should be here by late June but said it's not a guarantee. This has me asking some questions.

1.) Could someone briefly outline the steps to obtaining the J1 visa for medical residency purposes from when you decide you want to do US residency until July 1st?

2.) What are the major reasons for a delays (i.e. bottle necks, hurdles) from #1? I have witnessed several residents be up to a month delayed (PD made accomodations with vacation, etc.) past July 1st for "visa-related" issues. What are the main causes for this and what visas do these delays pertain to (H1B vs. J1)?

3.) Do any of you anticipate delays due to COVID-19 from a country that let's just say isn't a major epicenter right now?

1.
a. Need an offer letter/contract to be submitted to the Dept of Health of country of origin along with their unique specifications, in order to obtain Statement of Need (SoN) which needs to be sent directly to ECFMG (can be done electronically too, currently)
b. TPL uploads documents required by ECFMG - contract/offer letter, program description, ECFMG certification, etc.
c. ECFMG approves EVSP application and issues DS-2019 to TPL
d. Pay SEVIS fee
d. DS-2019 and SEVIS fee is used as supporting documentation for J-1 visa stamping at a US Embassy (status can be adjusted within the US but I am not sure about the specifics and it's generally discouraged)

2. Major delays occur mostly at step a, in obtaining the SoN depending on the procedure required. The ECFMG needs a couple of weeks to process the documents once submitted, they can be slow too. The other delay currently may occur at step d if embassies are closed due to COVID and require emergency appointments. In some cases the visa may go into administrative processing at step d causing an unforeseen delay that may last months for the unlucky few.