Orientation about Visas ??

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aProgDirector said:
Honestly, I have no experience with this at all. But, a bit of googling...

Here's the scoop. You basically want to transfer your F visa from your old school to your new school. Remember that your OPT is an extension of your F visa, so as far as USCIS is concerned you're (basically) still a student at your prior institution. Your med school should have an international student office. Contact them, and they should give you some paperwork to complete. You're going to choose a "transfer release date" -- the date your F will switch from your old school to your med school. That will be the first day that your OPT work permit is no longer valid. You'll choose a date that: 1) ensures that all coursework from your prior school is completed; 2) that your OPT employment is finished; 3) that is usually at least 1-2 weeks prior to the actual start of medical school; and 4) is no more than 60 days after the end of your OPT (if your OPT expires prior to medical school starting).

Your med school will talk to your prior school, and arrange the F transfer. You'll get a new I-20. Whether there are fees for this (and how much paperwork is involved) I have no idea, but the international student office at your medical school should. If they don't then I'd contact the international student office at your prior school for help with this.

Of note, you'll get a new 12 month OPT period at the end of medical school.
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Thanks aProgDirector! I'm in the same situation that Quaero and your comment helps a LOT!
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aProgDirector said:
Honestly, I have no experience with this at all. But, a bit of googling...

Here's the scoop. You basically want to transfer your F visa from your old school to your new school. Remember that your OPT is an extension of your F visa, so as far as USCIS is concerned you're (basically) still a student at your prior institution. Your med school should have an international student office. Contact them, and they should give you some paperwork to complete. You're going to choose a "transfer release date" -- the date your F will switch from your old school to your med school. That will be the first day that your OPT work permit is no longer valid. You'll choose a date that: 1) ensures that all coursework from your prior school is completed; 2) that your OPT employment is finished; 3) that is usually at least 1-2 weeks prior to the actual start of medical school; and 4) is no more than 60 days after the end of your OPT (if your OPT expires prior to medical school starting).

Your med school will talk to your prior school, and arrange the F transfer. You'll get a new I-20. Whether there are fees for this (and how much paperwork is involved) I have no idea, but the international student office at your medical school should. If they don't then I'd contact the international student office at your prior school for help with this.

Of note, you'll get a new 12 month OPT period at the end of medical school.
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Just want to let you know that my F-1 transfer went though smoothly like you suggested. I didn't have to pay any fee at all, to my surprise. :D
 
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I have a tourist visa but my wife will petition me to be a citizen. Should I wait to have my green card to take my USMLE?
 
No USMLE has nothing to do with green card. Take USMLE now but have your green card when you apply for residency.
 
I am a Canadian student starting my medical education in Wayne State. Thanks to all the information here, I learned a lot about what I have to do to eventually become a US citizen.
I have a few questions however:

1) Is it possible for me to live in Canada while studying in the states on an F1 visa? I am seriously thinking about crossing the border on a regular basis (though I'm not sure how feasible that is).

2) If so, does this in any way take away from my eligibility to eventually switch from H1b to GC? In other words, is there a requirement of having lived the US for x number of years?

Thank you in advance.
 
berrie said:
I am a Canadian student starting my medical education in Wayne State. Thanks to all the information here, I learned a lot about what I have to do to eventually become a US citizen.
I have a few questions however:

1) Is it possible for me to live in Canada while studying in the states on an F1 visa? I am seriously thinking about crossing the border on a regular basis (though I'm not sure how feasible that is).

2) If so, does this in any way take away from my eligibility to eventually switch from H1b to GC? In other words, is there a requirement of having lived the US for x number of years?

Thank you in advance.
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As long as you live in Canada for less than 6 months in a year you are considered a "visitor in Canada".

You should definitely be able to visit Canada on a regular basis when studying in the states on an F1.

As long as you are spending the majority of your time in the US you should be able to have no problems going from H1B to Green Card. Considering you are going to do residency in the US on an H1B you are likely to spend most of your time in the US anyways.

A lot of people have been on your path and they are fine. Its illogical for them to revoke your Green Card after you did medical school and residency in the US while visiting Canada occasionally.
Its so unlikely and shocking that you could easily go to the press with this story if they actually rejected you from a Green Card.
 
aProgDirector,

Logistically, it looks like H1B + extension would allow most people to stay for residency followed by fellowship.
But in terms of getting competitive fellowships (Cards, GI, H/O), is there going to be any difficulty for a foreign AMG training at a top 20 program on a H1B? Would they automatically NOT be considered by certain programs because of the visa issue?
Also, some fellowships state on their website that they will not sponsor someone on a H1B but what does that mean? That they will not apply for a H1B for you? What if you are already on H1B right now and just need to have it extended? And does that mean if you are willing to switch your current H1B to a J1 then the program will consider you for fellowship?
Thanks for a helpful thread!

aProgDirector said:
You seem to have forgotten to pay my consult fee. I'll send you a bill.
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rezdent said:
aProgDirector,

Logistically, it looks like H1B + extension would allow most people to stay for residency followed by fellowship.
But in terms of getting competitive fellowships (Cards, GI, H/O), is there going to be any difficulty for a foreign AMG training at a top 20 program on a H1B? Would they automatically NOT be considered by certain programs because of the visa issue?
Also, some fellowships state on their website that they will not sponsor someone on a H1B but what does that mean? That they will not apply for a H1B for you? What if you are already on H1B right now and just need to have it extended? And does that mean if you are willing to switch your current H1B to a J1 then the program will consider you for fellowship?
Thanks for a helpful thread!
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Sorry, this post looks a bit old.

Yes, you can have a challenge getting a competitive fellowship (or any fellowship, for that matter) on an H1b. Some institutions don't sponsor H1b's. Although it is easier to get an H1b for a fellowship once you have one for a residency, it's actually a "new" H1b. You need a separate H1b for each employer that you have. Some institutions simply refuse to deal with the paperwork and costs. Others will allow an H1b in "transfer" (again, it's really a new H1b but isn't quite as difficult as an initial H1b). Some will force you to switch to a J-1, which basically invalidates all of the benefit of your initial H. It will be program and institution dependent.
 
aProgDirector said:
Sorry, this post looks a bit old.

Yes, you can have a challenge getting a competitive fellowship (or any fellowship, for that matter) on an H1b. Some institutions don't sponsor H1b's. Although it is easier to get an H1b for a fellowship once you have one for a residency, it's actually a "new" H1b. You need a separate H1b for each employer that you have. Some institutions simply refuse to deal with the paperwork and costs. Others will allow an H1b in "transfer" (again, it's really a new H1b but isn't quite as difficult as an initial H1b). Some will force you to switch to a J-1, which basically invalidates all of the benefit of your initial H. It will be program and institution dependent.
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OPT is probably the path most often taken for international students at US medical schools. However, I have a question about J1 visas for international student USMGs. ECFMG requires that international student USMGs submit a copy of their transcripts to apply for a DS-2019/J1 visa, but since most USMGs get that diploma in May, does this jeopardize starting on July 1st?
 
Hey guys

APD and all you guys are a huge help. I learnt so much on this thread. But could not find an answer to my question. All of my questions are quite similar really.

Intention 1 - I plan on getting into a FM residency whether on J1 or H1B in any US state, being a Canadian who graduated from Asia. I have 1 year of US rotations and Step 1 of 225. I am not looking for a fellowship and want to go back to Canada to practice.

Q1 - Which visa gives me a greater number of interviews? (On Match a resident, I saw only 6 FM programs meeting my criteria that offered J1 and only 5 that offered H1. Not sure if this is actually true in reality.)


Intention 2 - Lets say I apply in Sep 2015 for H1 and have already done my Step 3 by June 2015.

Q2 - Can I still apply for J1 offering programs if I have already done Step 3? (Automatic vs manual notification to PD of my Step 3 ?!?)


Intention 3 - The whole idea is I don't want to limit my chances by choosing to do or not do Step 3. I was told previously that if I do Step 3 I am automatically shunned from J1 sponsoring FM programs. Having said that, I would rather take Step 3 before starting residency.

Q3 - When should I take my step 3 in order to apply for BOTH J1 and H1 sponsoring programs in order to get maximum interviews? (Maybe all H1 programs offer J1?!?)
 
You seem to be misguided about what the visa does for you.

the J-1 Visa allows you to enter the United States to attend postgrad training. By the time you apply for the J-1 Visa, you would have already obtained your residency position.
The H1B visa is a type of work visa. The decision to give you the H1B is made by the training institution.

The number of interviews you get depends on how many interviews you and the potential training program can set up, not whether you have passed Step 3.

From what I know these days, many training institutions have decided (for a variety of reasons) that they will no longer offer, or pay for, the H1B visa. This means you have to apply for the J-1 visa through the Exchange Visitor Sponsorship Program (part of the ECFMG).

During your interviews, you can raise the topic of visas, and discuss in a professional manner. If you are eligible to apply for a J-1 Visa (check with your home country), then you can share your thoughts on the matter. If the institution says they are not willing or able to get an H1B visa for you, then you must get the J-1 Visa. If the institution tells you then can and will obtain the H1B visa, then you can decide whether or not you want to accept it.

The USMLE Step 3 is a requirement to apply for the H1B visa (barring any odd exceptions).
 
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I agree. I don't think that whether you've taken Step 3 will affect your interviews for J-1 programs -- although I guess they might see your Step 3 and assume you want an H visa, but that seems unlikely
 
Since it's been a while since the beginning posts. I was wondering if it is still true that Canadians studying at US MD schools usually have no trouble using the OPT year to get an H1B even in competitive specialties? Overgeneralization of course.. because it ultimately depends on the student and a variety of other factors. Just trying to see if the visa issue is a major impediment.
 
Just as long as they are still giving out OPT for you having studied in the U.S. and obtained a degree, I don't see why not.

I have briefly read through this thread. I don't know why people keeping on talking about the need to pass step 3 to get an H1B. Yes, that might be the case if you are an FMG. But if you are of international national but finished your medical school in the U.S., you are a professional M.D. by virtue of your American medical school diploma. In that case specifically, you don't need to have passed step 3 to even apply for H1B.

So OPT for one year for your internship. And by middle of your internship year, apply for H1B with your program sponsoring you. Don't wait. If you wait, then you have to pay for rush application.

If you are an FMG, then the above does not apply.

NOW in terms of getting a competitive residency program, I don't know. If your institution tends to sponsor H1B anyway, then honestly your residency program probably does not care. Your residency program only wants the best residents they can get and if the international student/scholar office of your institution gives your OPT and then H1B plan a go, then your residency program will not think that hard to accept or to reject you. You will probably be considered under your own merit.
 
Hey long time lurker of this thread.

@Thewonderer what do you mean by internship? Am I correct to assume residency? Sorry if the questions comes off as silly but given the intricacies international students face, I feel the need to double and triple check
 
Tsaka said:
Hey long time lurker of this thread.

@Thewonderer what do you mean by internship? Am I correct to assume residency? Sorry if the questions comes off as silly but given the intricacies international students face, I feel the need to double and triple check
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Yes internship = first year of residency. R1 in other words.
 
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This has been a very clarifying post!
However, I couldn't find all the answers I was looking for. I hope someone here can help me out!
First, let me start by explaining to you all where I stand.
Me and my GF are both MS4 in a 6-year med-school in South America and we are both planning to match IM through couples match (probably around 2018-19). Well, at the moment I really don't know what subspecialty I would enjoy doing the most, maybe ID/CCM, and she likes cardio/endocrine/pneumo. The thing is that we are more interested in practicing medicine and living in the US than in choosing and doing a fellow. What I'm trying to say is that we'd rather work as hospitalists after IM residency in order to get GC than doing a fellowship and having to return to our home country for 2 years.
So what I want to know is, in case we can't both match in a situation in which both of us get h1b visa, would It be better if only one of us got h1b or if both of us got j1 (always having in mind that we want to live in US afterwards)?
If we both get j1 and do the waiver pathway to get GC, is it feasible for us to work relatively close to one another?
And finally, supposing we both got j1, finished IM, did a fellow, and returned to our home country, how can we, after working 2 years here, get a job in US and apply for a GC?

I'm sorry if it was confusing, I really tryed my best. Thank you all!
 
FranticFrancis said:
This has been a very clarifying post!
However, I couldn't find all the answers I was looking for. I hope someone here can help me out!
First, let me start by explaining to you all where I stand.
Me and my GF are both MS4 in a 6-year med-school in South America and we are both planning to match IM through couples match (probably around 2018-19). Well, at the moment I really don't know what subspecialty I would enjoy doing the most, maybe ID/CCM, and she likes cardio/endocrine/pneumo. The thing is that we are more interested in practicing medicine and living in the US than in choosing and doing a fellow. What I'm trying to say is that we'd rather work as hospitalists after IM residency in order to get GC than doing a fellowship and having to return to our home country for 2 years.
So what I want to know is, in case we can't both match in a situation in which both of us get h1b visa, would It be better if only one of us got h1b or if both of us got j1 (always having in mind that we want to live in US afterwards)?
If we both get j1 and do the waiver pathway to get GC, is it feasible for us to work relatively close to one another?
And finally, supposing we both got j1, finished IM, did a fellow, and returned to our home country, how can we, after working 2 years here, get a job in US and apply for a GC?

I'm sorry if it was confusing, I really tryed my best. Thank you all!
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Of course you can get a job in the US after doing IM and fellowship in the US. Just because you worked in Brazil for 2 years doesn't mean the US won't hire you again.

I think you should just couples match and try and get a H1B but it won't be easy, as you know you'll both need Step 3 finished and most programs won't sponsor one, but there are that do, mainly non-competitive ones unfortunately.
 
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Obviously, both getting H visas is the "best" option. It gives you the most flexibility -- either of you could get a job or a fellowship, you could become US citizens, and stay indefinitely.

If one of you gets an H and the other a J, life is a bit more complicated. Obviously, you've matched to different programs -- whether that's a positive or a negative depends on you. The person on the J will need a waiver, the person on the H will have no problem getting employed by any hospital that is willing to sponsor a J waiver. The person on the H could also do a fellowship if they wished without a problem. The person on the J could also do a fellowship, ultimately to do the J waiver afterwards. The H visa holder becoming a US Citizen won't help the J person -- they will still need the waiver.

Two J visas is the "worst" option. You will both need J waiver jobs.

If you end up in the "2 J's" plan, there is another complicated solution. One of you could get a J-1 (the usual J visa), and the other could get the spousal J-2 visa. The benefit to this arrangement is that then you will need only a single J waiver job -- the J-2 holder automatically gets a waiver if the J-1 holder gets one. The problem is that 1) many GME offices won't allow this, 2) the J-2 person will have a significant delay to getting their EAD, they will almost certainly have a late start [and this can cause a big problem at the end of training, since when the J-1 person graduates the J-2 can't keep working for months]. So this isn't a great option -- although I have heard of it being done before.
 
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Thank you both Medstart108 and aProgDirector!
In case we both get j1 and decide to return to our home country after fellowship (lets suppose I did ID/CCM and she did Cardio), how hard would it be for both of us to, 2 years later, get a job in US? I mean, having our residencies and fellows and certifications all up to date, but with this 2 year gap working in Brazil, would it be hard to find a job in US that would sponsor both of us a H1B so that further on we could try to get a GC?

Thank you again, I hope I made myself clear. Sometimes I can sound a bit confusing, building a sentence is english is quite a little bit different than building one in portuguese.

EDIT:
Ps.: you were very helpful already, I feel that my plan is nothing but possible and I'll work as hard as I can in order to get a H1B!
 
Thank you a ProgDirector and many others for the useful info provided in this thread. I am a student studying at WCMC in Qatar. WCMCQ is a branch campus of cornell med outside the US, which means I am classified as an IMG. However, I will be receiving a Cornell MD (no qatar on it, so an American degree) after my studies. I will be in this unique position as an IMG with US MD degree. I have several questions related to visa types and competitiveness into residency programs:

1. Since I can only take step 3 after med school, can I safely assume the only visa option for me is J1? I will not have an OPT available after I graduate to do my internship year and complete step 3 in time to apply for H1B visa for second year in residency, is this right? Or will there be a chance I can apply for H1B visa somehow without taking a gap year?
2. In previous threads, it's been briefly mentioned that FMG with US MD degrees do equally well in terms of getting into competitive programs. How about someone like me with a US MD degree from outside the US?
3. How easily can one apply for a J-waiver job after residency program? Where can I find specific info on residency choice to increase likelihood of working in the medically underserved area, J-waiver position availability and general working experience in such programs as I will be in much debt after graduation?

This thread has already been tremendously helpful and thank you in advance for more clarifications on my case.
 
First, whether the degree from Cornell Qatar counts as a "US Degree" or not is somewhat unclear. As far as the match is concerned, you are an IMG. That said, Cornell Qatar's match list is quite impressive and their grads get great spots.

1. I believe the answer is yes. No OPT because you're not on an F visa. However, Cornell Qatar students rotate at Cornell during their clinical years, presumably on an F visa. If so, if you can convince your school to put you on an F visa during the last month, then you might qualify for an OPT visa. I have no idea if this is legal / feasible, but it might work. If not, then you'll need a J. Or you'll need a gap year to take Step 3.

2. See Qatar's match lists, which are on their website. That will give you some sense. They did quite well.

3. It's relatively easy if you're flexible about where you work. If you're only willing to work in Cali, then it could be an issue.
 
Thank you Aprogramdirector for your timely reply. I will check with my school if an F1
Visa will be available during my last year of school.

Most likely I will be pursuing this route: J1 to J1 waiver (H1B) to H1B to GC to Citizenship. I hope you don't find it irksome as I still have two more questions remaining:

Q1. Regarding the J waiver jobs, I am very flexible with the geographical location as to where I will work. What about the specialty I may be limited to? Are primary care specialties the only ones I can pursue? What if I am interested in opthalmology, anesthesiology and dermatology specialties? Will VA system be an option for me?

Q2. During my college med school fair, I got the chance to talk to an admission direction from mayo clinic. I expressed my concerns over the visa issues but he kinda frowned upon my unnecessary worries by saying hat good programs (esp. those affiliated with highly ranked universities) only offer J1 visa for residency. In the unlikely case that my school warrant me a F1 visa and I can purse my year 1 with OPT, will good programs as such be willing to accommodate request to sponsor H1B visa in general (I know it's case by case). Is it true that very good residency programs are much more reluctant to issue H1B visas?

Thank you once again for your invaluable input! You've been a tremendous source of knowledge for foreign students like me!
 
zeelahwoo said:
Q1. Regarding the J waiver jobs, I am very flexible with the geographical location as to where I will work. What about the specialty I may be limited to? Are primary care specialties the only ones I can pursue? What if I am interested in opthalmology, anesthesiology and dermatology specialties? Will VA system be an option for me?
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You must do your waiver in whatever field you train in. So, if you train in primary care, then your waiver is in primary care. If you train in Derm, then your waiver needs to be in Derm. You can't train in Derm and then do a waiver in Primary Care -- especially since you woudn;t be competent in Primary Care.

So, first, you need to assess your chances of getting a residency spot in those fields. So far, no one from Cornell/Qatar has gotten a spot in Ophthal nor in Derm (except one person got a spot in Qatar). You could be the first, and someone did get a spot in Neurosurgery, so anything is possible.

Once you get a spot, then the question will be whether there are any J waiver positions in that field. In order to make that work, there has to be no qualified US citizen who is willing to take the position. I don't know if that's possible in Derm or Ophthal. It might be possible in Anesthesia.

Q2. During my college med school fair, I got the chance to talk to an admission direction from mayo clinic. I expressed my concerns over the visa issues but he kinda frowned upon my unnecessary worries by saying hat good programs (esp. those affiliated with highly ranked universities) only offer J1 visa for residency. In the unlikely case that my school warrant me a F1 visa and I can purse my year 1 with OPT, will good programs as such be willing to accommodate request to sponsor H1B visa in general (I know it's case by case). Is it true that very good residency programs are much more reluctant to issue H1B visas?
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Yes, programs favor J visas. They are easier, cheaper, and faster. Might a program offer you an H? Maybe. But most likely the more competitive programs will not.
 
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Thank you, aProgDirector for the very informative replies!!!! If you don't mind, I have two final questions regarding the visa issues, of which you might give me some hints:

Q1. During the J-waiver period, I will be under H1B visa, which does not allow me to apply for green card. Can I still show my dual intent and will these three years be part of the six years limit of my H1B visa (3 years+3 years)? How likely it is for physicians to secure an H1B visa in the first place?

Q2. For the step of obtaining permanent residency, only two options are viable to me: labor certification and national interest waiver (I don't think I will be spectacular...). Which one is more expedite for me to obtain GC? In the case of national interest waiver, a total of five years in MUA or VA are needed before I can apply independently. Will the three years during my J waiver period be counted? Is there a different in speed of obtaining GC via the two options?

Sorry, I posted the same questions in another thread, which I am not sure how to remove it><!!! Thank you profusely for your generous guidance!
 
Hello,

sorry to bump a thread but I had a related question. I was thrilled to match this cycle and the plan is in the works to be on OPT for intern year and then going for an H1B visa in January 2017. I had a question or two regarding the next steps after that. Since H1B is employer-specific, am I "bound" to my residency program for a potential fellowship? Will I be able to "switch" my H1b to another institution if I choose a different institution on a fellowship? Is that switch only available at a select group of places? Will it hurt my application ? Although I'm thrilled to have matched well, I do feel that the H1B requirement (I did not apply for J1) may have hurt me, and I am a bit wary of being dinged again for a future fellowship spot.
 
The H1b visa does not bind you to any program. The H1b visa is employer specific, so if you want to go work for another employer (such as a fellowship program at another institution) you will need another H1b visa. Once you have one H1b visa, it is relatively easy to get another one -- you don't need to jump through all the hoops, there's no more caps or limits, etc. Will the H1b visa hurt your fellowship application? Not at all. Some programs will be happy to sponsor an H1b, knowing it is much easier the second time around. Some may not -- but you can always switch to a J-1 from an H1b for fellowship. Doing so causes you to lose all the benefits of an H1b, so you'll have to consider that carefully.
 
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aProgDirector said:
The H1b visa does not bind you to any program. The H1b visa is employer specific, so if you want to go work for another employer (such as a fellowship program at another institution) you will need another H1b visa. Once you have one H1b visa, it is relatively easy to get another one -- you don't need to jump through all the hoops, there's no more caps or limits, etc. Will the H1b visa hurt your fellowship application? Not at all. Some programs will be happy to sponsor an H1b, knowing it is much easier the second time around. Some may not -- but you can always switch to a J-1 from an H1b for fellowship. Doing so causes you to lose all the benefits of an H1b, so you'll have to consider that carefully.
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Thanks for your reply, this is great news!
 
Thanks for your reply. I have a question.

I used FREIDA online to look up a list of fellowship programs that consider H1b visa. Could I consider this list to be accurate? Some of the programs that are on the list say on their website that they are ok with H1 but some do not say anything at all. I have looked up programs that are up front on their website saying "no H1b" and they do not appear on the list. For the programs that DO accept H1b, is it a "penalty" when they see it on your application?
 
DoctorDuck13 said:
Thanks for your reply. I have a question.

I used FREIDA online to look up a list of fellowship programs that consider H1b visa. Could I consider this list to be accurate? Some of the programs that are on the list say on their website that they are ok with H1 but some do not say anything at all. I have looked up programs that are up front on their website saying "no H1b" and they do not appear on the list. For the programs that DO accept H1b, is it a "penalty" when they see it on your application?
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not very accurate


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Thank you all for this great topic. I believe my question has not been asked before. What if an IMG starts PG-Y1 residency on J1, will he be able to switch to H1B during >= PG-Y2 in the same program ? What about finishing IM on J1 and then starting a fellowship, will this facilitate switching to H1B ?

Thank you all
 
You cannot switch from a J to an H. Once you're on a J visa, you're stuck with it. Even marrying a US citizen won't cancel your 2 year HRR.
 
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If a job in the US sponsors my H1 can i use that to apply to residency as H1 if i obtained it before applications?
 
M1keILL said:
If a job in the US sponsors my H1 can i use that to apply to residency as H1 if i obtained it before applications?
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I think the answer is "maybe". It looks like it's perfectly legal: https://www.murthy.com/2013/09/06/common-misunderstandings-clarified-h1bs-and-change-of-fields/

Whether a GME office will allow it is unclear, but many might. Once you have an H1, it's easier to transfer it to a new employer than to get an H1b from scratch.

But this will be institution and GME office dependent. This happens very infrequently, so it may be hard to get a clear answer.
 
aProgDirector said:
I think the answer is "maybe". It looks like it's perfectly legal: https://www.murthy.com/2013/09/06/common-misunderstandings-clarified-h1bs-and-change-of-fields/

Whether a GME office will allow it is unclear, but many might. Once you have an H1, it's easier to transfer it to a new employer than to get an H1b from scratch.

But this will be institution and GME office dependent. This happens very infrequently, so it may be hard to get a clear answer.
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no, this is not possible. it is an independent new application for an h1b visa for clinical training. there is no benefit for you here, no "transfer" or "easy renewal". if anything, it may hurt you as the total amount of time on an H1b is limited.
 
Thank you so much @aProgDirector and the rest of the members for the invaluable info you are providing!
I would like to ask if you know any details concerning the transfer from H1B -> J.
Is it an easy process?
I matched in a prelim position that can sponsor both, and I’m wandering about whether I will be able to change from H to J if I find an advanced position later that can only sponsor J. Thank you so much in advance.
 
thank you @aProgDirector ! A few more questions:
-If there is a gap year between the end of my prelim job (on a J) and the beginning of my advanced training (on a J), and I choose to go back to my home country for 1 year, will this count as completing part of the 2 year rule?
-If after completing 1 year of prelim I chose to go back to my home country for 2 years, will this free me from the 2 year rule, even though this 1 year is not considered a completed residency program?
In other words, are we supposed to deal with the 2 year rule only after the end of a complete residency training?

Thanks a lot
 
Also, Is it hard for programs to accept us on an H1B if we are already on one?
In other words, is the H1b transfer process as arduous as the initiation of an H1b is?
 
sired said:
thank you @aProgDirector ! A few more questions:
-If there is a gap year between the end of my prelim job (on a J) and the beginning of my advanced training (on a J), and I choose to go back to my home country for 1 year, will this count as completing part of the 2 year rule?
-If after completing 1 year of prelim I chose to go back to my home country for 2 years, will this free me from the 2 year rule, even though this 1 year is not considered a completed residency program?
In other words, are we supposed to deal with the 2 year rule only after the end of a complete residency training?

Thanks a lot
Click to expand...

When you get a second J, one of two things happens -- either your 2 year rule carries over to the new visa and you still owe 2 years, or you gain an additional 2 years of required time in your home country. In general, if you transfer from one J to another while remaining in the US, you get a single HRR for both. If you go home, then a second HRR attaches. So, it's most likely you would owe 3 years (of a total of 4).

sired said:
Also, Is it hard for programs to accept us on an H1B if we are already on one?
In other words, is the H1b transfer process as arduous as the initiation of an H1b is?
Click to expand...

Getting a new H1b once you have one is relatively easy. But not all employers will do so.
 
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Can someone who:

has been on a J1 research for 1,5 year,
then switched to J1 alien physician for 1 year,
then went back to his home country for 2 years,

apply again for a J1 research or J1 alien physician right after the 2-year stay in his home country?
 
All visa questions are complicated, and the standard answer is "review with a visa lawyer". But, my understanding is that the answer is "yes". You had a clinical J with a 2 year HRR. As long as you returned to the country where your Statement of Need for your J visa originated for 2 years, you are then allowed to apply for any visa you would like.
 
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Amazing thread. Gave me all the information i needed. Forever in your debt.
 
I am a Canadian Citizen and will graduate from an U.S. medical school in a few months, I am applying for U.S residency now. Please help me out for my questions.
1. As a foreigner U.S graduate, I can use OPT for my intern year in U.S. However, I saw many residency programs mention that they
will not consider an applicant with OPT. What does that mean? Does that mean I can't apply for these residency programs?
2. I would like to follow the path from OPT to H1B. Should I ask PO if they sponsor H1B before I apply for their residency programs. If they don't sponsor H1B, then I will not apply for the program? Or I just get in their residency program without asking sponsorship, then ask employer to sponsor my H1B during my intern year?
3. I am new to U.S visa workflow so please give me a bit details for your answer. Many thanks for your helps!
 
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