Hi everyone,
I'm a Canadian in 3rd year of med school in US. I'm interested in applying for EM and wanted to clarify some things. I kind of suck at legal things/ visas and want to triple check my understanding. When I was in 1st/2nd year Canadians at my school told me we could apply for only 4 year EM programs for J1 (we could only do 3 year programs on H1B). As H1B is more difficult to obtain than J1 and there are also far less 3 year programs vs 4 year, this was very discouraging. So recently I heard something about Canada changing their visa rules so I emailed them and this is their response:
On an ongoing basis Health Canada (HC) examines evidence related to physician workforce need prior to issuing statements of need (SONs) to applicants for a J1 Visa. A SON is one of many requirements of the United States (US) government in order for applicants to obtain a J1 Visa to undertake postgraduate medical training in the US.
Effective Sept 10, 2018, the following changes have been implemented for all three SON Categories (A, B, C):
· applicants will not be screened against a list of pre-identified specialties, sub-specialties or fellowship training needs (including limits);
· applicants will no longer require a letter of support from their home province or territory; and
· applicants will no longer need a letter of support from a Canadian medical school or proof of Canadian medical licensure, since validation of previous medical training is the responsibility of the host institution in the US.
Prior to receiving a SON from HC, applicants continue to:
· declare their firm intention to return to Canada following completion of their residency/fellowship to practice in their chosen specialty;
· adhere to Canadian licensing requirements set by medical regulatory bodies, such as the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or the College of Family Physicians of Canada, Medical Council of Canada and provincial-territorial medical certifying bodies; and
· assume all risks associated with undertaking training outside a Canadian medical school/training institution as it pertains to licensure and employment.
In regard to your question, you will be eligible to apply for a SON for Emergency Medicine programs (3 year or 4 year programs) however, you must follow up with the medical regulatory bodies to ensure your training will be recognized upon return. This is the applicant’s responsibility to adhere to Canadian licensing requirements set by the medical regulatory bodies. Receiving a SON is not a guarantee of employment or licensure in your desired specialty or practice location upon return to Canada.
So to make sure I have this right... the previous 4 year program for J1 & only 3 year programs on H1B is out the window and now we can apply for a 3 year program and get a J1?? Im thinking of staying in US for now so could I do a 3 year EM residency on a J1, do whatever for the 2 year back home requirement (can't do a waiver since EM isn't part of the Conrad 30 specialities), then apply to the US for an H1B job in EM after the 2 years is up?
The bolded part only applies if I intend to go back to Canada (meaning if I want to go back, I obviously have to meet Canada's requirement of 5 years for EM, the medical exams, etc) but since I dont plan on that I'm good to do a 3 year EM program on J1??
I want to make sure I'm understanding the changes correctly since it's a huge change from a couple years ago.
Thank you for your help
I'm a Canadian in 3rd year of med school in US. I'm interested in applying for EM and wanted to clarify some things. I kind of suck at legal things/ visas and want to triple check my understanding. When I was in 1st/2nd year Canadians at my school told me we could apply for only 4 year EM programs for J1 (we could only do 3 year programs on H1B). As H1B is more difficult to obtain than J1 and there are also far less 3 year programs vs 4 year, this was very discouraging. So recently I heard something about Canada changing their visa rules so I emailed them and this is their response:
On an ongoing basis Health Canada (HC) examines evidence related to physician workforce need prior to issuing statements of need (SONs) to applicants for a J1 Visa. A SON is one of many requirements of the United States (US) government in order for applicants to obtain a J1 Visa to undertake postgraduate medical training in the US.
Effective Sept 10, 2018, the following changes have been implemented for all three SON Categories (A, B, C):
· applicants will not be screened against a list of pre-identified specialties, sub-specialties or fellowship training needs (including limits);
· applicants will no longer require a letter of support from their home province or territory; and
· applicants will no longer need a letter of support from a Canadian medical school or proof of Canadian medical licensure, since validation of previous medical training is the responsibility of the host institution in the US.
Prior to receiving a SON from HC, applicants continue to:
· declare their firm intention to return to Canada following completion of their residency/fellowship to practice in their chosen specialty;
· adhere to Canadian licensing requirements set by medical regulatory bodies, such as the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or the College of Family Physicians of Canada, Medical Council of Canada and provincial-territorial medical certifying bodies; and
· assume all risks associated with undertaking training outside a Canadian medical school/training institution as it pertains to licensure and employment.
In regard to your question, you will be eligible to apply for a SON for Emergency Medicine programs (3 year or 4 year programs) however, you must follow up with the medical regulatory bodies to ensure your training will be recognized upon return. This is the applicant’s responsibility to adhere to Canadian licensing requirements set by the medical regulatory bodies. Receiving a SON is not a guarantee of employment or licensure in your desired specialty or practice location upon return to Canada.
So to make sure I have this right... the previous 4 year program for J1 & only 3 year programs on H1B is out the window and now we can apply for a 3 year program and get a J1?? Im thinking of staying in US for now so could I do a 3 year EM residency on a J1, do whatever for the 2 year back home requirement (can't do a waiver since EM isn't part of the Conrad 30 specialities), then apply to the US for an H1B job in EM after the 2 years is up?
The bolded part only applies if I intend to go back to Canada (meaning if I want to go back, I obviously have to meet Canada's requirement of 5 years for EM, the medical exams, etc) but since I dont plan on that I'm good to do a 3 year EM program on J1??
I want to make sure I'm understanding the changes correctly since it's a huge change from a couple years ago.
Thank you for your help
