WARNING to all Canadian IMG's participating in US Match - Re: J1 Visa and the Statement of Need!

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
230 from abroad? What the Fck? where are they doing their residency?

there is no fcking way that 230 Canadian are doing FM in the US on J1 every year
Yeah, I way overshot those figures looking back on it...
P.S. I was referring to IM not FM

Members don't see this ad.
 
there are a large number of canadians studying in the US(more and more at DO schools) and abroad(carrib, ireland, europe, aussi), and it is not unreasonable to suspect the vast majority will do residency in canada or the US.

with many of them being pushed into or choosing FM, it is not unreasonable to be concerned that the number of FM SONs may not be enough. Apparantly the numbers, according to one posters connections with health canada, suggest it is ample but time will tell.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
what is wrong with you wimpy Canadians wanting residency in the US and dependent on Canada giving you a visa....if you're a Canadian in the US doing med school it's really easy, pleasurable and fun to get US government authorization for a US residency: simply get on match com or ashley madison com , talk to an American, fall in love with an American and marry an American. It's that easy. Then you don't have to put up with the usual parochial, small minded, concrete thinking, obsessed with the process Canadians and Health Canada. If you're a Canadian not in a US medical school then that's your problem, you shouldn't even expect to get a US residency and you should be treated like how Canadians treat IMG's trying to get into Canadian residencies. US residencies in the US are for US citizens and not for a back up for Canadians studying abroad who can't get into Canada
 
what is wrong with you wimpy Canadians wanting residency in the US and dependent on Canada giving you a visa....if you're a Canadian in the US doing med school it's really easy, pleasurable and fun to get US government authorization for a US residency: simply get on match com or ashley madison com , talk to an American, fall in love with an American and marry an American. It's that easy. Then you don't have to put up with the usual parochial, small minded, concrete thinking, obsessed with the process Canadians and Health Canada. If you're a Canadian not in a US medical school then that's your problem, you shouldn't even expect to get a US residency and you should be treated like how Canadians treat IMG's trying to get into Canadian residencies. US residencies in the US are for US citizens and not for a back up for Canadians studying abroad who can't get into Canada
Lol wut?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I heard you can apply for OPT (Optional Practical Training, an extension of the F1 student visitor visa which allows you to work for one year after graduation) & J1 at the same time. If you don't get the Statement of Need for the J1 VISA, you can still go on with your residency program under the OPT. During your first year of residency under the OPT, you can apply for J1 and H1B VISA sponsorship at the same time. Is this correct?
But yeah, the SoNs are anticipated to decrease for FM and IM and the number of applicants are increasing every year (more American medical schools opening, etc.). Going abroad to American medical schools for Canadians is increasingly risky...
 
I heard you can apply for OPT (Optional Practical Training, an extension of the F1 student visitor visa which allows you to work for one year after graduation) & J1 at the same time. If you don't get the Statement of Need for the J1 VISA, you can still go on with your residency program under the OPT. During your first year of residency under the OPT, you can apply for J1 and H1B VISA sponsorship at the same time. Is this correct?
But yeah, the SoNs are anticipated to decrease for FM and IM and the number of applicants are increasing every year (more American medical schools opening, etc.). Going abroad to American medical schools for Canadians is increasingly risky...

Going on OPT is possible yes, but only for US MD and USDO students. Other IMGs cannot do this.

Hence why if you leave Canada, you should aim to first go to a USMD or a USDO school before considering other foreign schools.

Going to an American medical school is not that risky, not even close to being compared to real foreign schools.

Going to an American school, you're much more likely to get an H1B visa also. Bypasses all the red-tape and restrictions with J1/health canada
 
Going on OPT is possible yes, but only for US MD and USDO students. Other IMGs cannot do this.

Hence why if you leave Canada, you should aim to first go to a USMD or a USDO school before considering other foreign schools.

Going to an American medical school is not that risky, not even close to being compared to real foreign schools.

Going to an American school, you're much more likely to get an H1B visa also. Bypasses all the red-tape and restrictions with J1/health canada
Can you apply for OPT and J1 at the same time? So you can do your first year of residency under the OPT in case you do not get the statement of need for the J1 visa. Also, is the OPT year to extend your F-1 student visitor visa guaranteed if you apply for it? I called both Health Canada and ECFMG but could not get these information.
Also, do you know how many residencies sponsor the J1 visa? The H1B visa?
I am afraid of going the US DO route now after reading this post (the US MD route is preferable because Canadian AMGs at least get first round CaRMS). I'm interested in family/internal medicine and for the time being, these have fewer applicants than the Statement of Need quota. But who knows what new changes the Canadian government will make in the future to screw us over...
 
Can you apply for OPT and J1 at the same time? So you can do your first year of residency under the OPT in case you do not get the statement of need for the J1 visa. Also, is the OPT year to extend your F-1 student visitor visa guaranteed if you apply for it? I called both Health Canada and ECFMG but could not get these information.
Also, do you know how many residencies sponsor the J1 visa? The H1B visa?
I am afraid of going the US DO route now after reading this post (the US MD route is preferable because Canadian AMGs at least get first round CaRMS). I'm interested in family/internal medicine and for the time being, these have fewer applicants than the Statement of Need quota. But who knows what new changes the Canadian government will make in the future to screw us over...

Almost all residencies sponsor j1. It is easy to get. OPTI is not through health canada. Your school will help sort it out, but it is not very difficult at all - i have plenty of friends who have used OPTI after doing other degrees on f1.

So yes, you have the OPTI as a safety net in case Health Canada messes up and you dont get the J1 right away.

Even as a USMD you would have the same restrictions as anyone else if you want to do residency in the US as a Canadian. Yes, you would have a higher chance of getting a Canadian residency though.

If you don't have a USMD acceptance at hand, but have a USDO acceptance- then you have your answer.
 
Almost all residencies sponsor j1. It is easy to get. OPTI is not through health canada. Your school will help sort it out, but it is not very difficult at all - i have plenty of friends who have used OPTI after doing other degrees on f1.

So yes, you have the OPTI as a safety net in case Health Canada messes up and you dont get the J1 right away.

Even as a USMD you would have the same restrictions as anyone else if you want to do residency in the US as a Canadian. Yes, you would have a higher chance of getting a Canadian residency though.

If you don't have a USMD acceptance at hand, but have a USDO acceptance- then you have your answer.
This is reassuring. But do you know Canadians who have graduated from a US MD/DO school and are stuck without a residency because of not ever getting the SoN for the J1 visa? For example, let's say you get into a competitive specialty (e.g., diagnostic radiology) and couldn't get the J1 so you do first year under OPT. The next year you apply for the SoN, you don't get it again because Health Canada just isn't issuing sufficient SoNs for your specialty. What backups do you have now? I'm worried of running into a dead end.. But I will go through with my DO interview anyway for now - thanks for your help!
 
This is reassuring. But do you know Canadians who have graduated from a US MD/DO school and are stuck without a residency because of not ever getting the SoN for the J1 visa? For example, let's say you get into a competitive specialty (e.g., diagnostic radiology) and couldn't get the J1 so you do first year under OPT. The next year you apply for the SoN, you don't get it again because Health Canada just isn't issuing sufficient SoNs for your specialty. What backups do you have now? I'm worried of running into a dead end.. But I will go through with my DO interview anyway for now - thanks for your help!

It could happen that you are not eligible to receive a Statement of Need to begin residency and the same could happen the following year if your residency is not on the needs list. Also, suppose you apply for both the Statement of Need and the OPT, and you receive a Statement of Need and then you decide to use the OPT, the following year you're going to be in trouble if the US hospital won't pay for an H1B. By that time, your Statement of Need is stale dated and the ECFMG will ask you to get another ne that has a current date. it is possible you could be ineligible for a statement of Need by that time. Better to get confirmation when you go for interviews for residency that the H1B will be available to you.
 
This is reassuring. But do you know Canadians who have graduated from a US MD/DO school and are stuck without a residency because of not ever getting the SoN for the J1 visa? For example, let's say you get into a competitive specialty (e.g., diagnostic radiology) and couldn't get the J1 so you do first year under OPT. The next year you apply for the SoN, you don't get it again because Health Canada just isn't issuing sufficient SoNs for your specialty. What backups do you have now? I'm worried of running into a dead end.. But I will go through with my DO interview anyway for now - thanks for your help!

If you're going for competitive specialties and non-primary care, you probably shouldn't be leaving Canada. Your odds are lower right away.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Members don't see this ad :)
So i will be entering the match in 2017. I am a USDO, I was hoping to do ER, but i realized that they only issue SoN for 4 yr ER programs. There are only 15-20 4 yr progams most are ivey legue or in California. So a majority of them are 3 yr, any ideas on what to do?
 
I would be okay with pursing the two year Critcal Care fellowship. However would health canada realease a SoN for a 3 yr EM residency?
 
So i will be entering the match in 2017. I am a USDO, I was hoping to do ER, but i realized that they only issue SoN for 4 yr ER programs. There are only 15-20 4 yr progams most are ivey legue or in California. So a majority of them are 3 yr, any ideas on what to do?

you can do a transitional year first, a one year internship, then enter the three year program. for the fifth and final year, you have to complete an ACGME accredited fellowship.
4 year program plus 1 year fellowship for a total of five years, OR
1 year transitional year/internship plus 3 year EM program plus 1 year fellowship, for a total of five years.
 
@NewCanadian Will Health Canada allow me to do ER (3) + Critical care fellowship (2 yr)? Or do you think they will only let me do it via the methods you tell me.

I know this sounds bad how do they know you will do your extra year of fellowship?
 
@NewCanadian Will Health Canada allow me to do ER (3) + Critical care fellowship (2 yr)? Or do you think they will only let me do it via the methods you tell me.

I know this sounds bad how do they know you will do your extra year of fellowship?

According to the communication received by a close friend of mine who is applying EM this year, Health Canada will not provide statements of need for 3 year EM residencies period. Unfortunately for my friend, he had already applied to EM when he found out about the changes.

I think you should try contacting Health Canada yourself at [email protected].
 
Last edited:
According to the communication received by a close friend of mine who is applying EM this year, Health Canada will not provide statements of need for 4 year EM residencies period. Unfortunately for my friend, he had already applied to EM when he found out about the changes.

I think you should try contacting Health Canada yourself at [email protected].

I think you meant 3 year programs?
 
I'm reading the website now.

I'm a Psych resident in the U.S, and Im on J1 (Category B).

I want to do Neuropsychiatry Fellowship, but it non-ACGME (unaccredited, it is UCNS): http://www.anpaonline.org/ucns-fellowships

Can I still do Neuropsychiatry Fellowship on J1, or am I screwed?
 
So i will be entering the match in 2017. I am a USDO, I was hoping to do ER, but i realized that they only issue SoN for 4 yr ER programs. There are only 15-20 4 yr progams most are ivey legue or in California. So a majority of them are 3 yr, any ideas on what to do?

You can start with a one year 'preliminary year' or 'transitional year' and then move along to the 3 year residency.
I do not know exactly HOW you would do this. I have not communicated with any US program directors to find out if a PD would match you and then defer for one year while you complete an internship.

But, 1 plus 3 equals 4.

Then, after that, attend one-year ACGME fellowship in a program related to emergency medicine.

I am aware that there are not that many one-year ACGME fellowships related to EM. Therefore, you should contact the Royal College Credentials Unit and ask them what other non ACGME one year programs they would approve for you.
Recently, a doctor wanted to do a year of 'ultrasound'; it is not an ACGME program; she contacted the College and received approval from the credentials unit to have that year counted towards the STRs (specialty training requirements.)

You can PM if you like....
 
It could happen that you are not eligible to receive a Statement of Need to begin residency and the same could happen the following year if your residency is not on the needs list. Also, suppose you apply for both the Statement of Need and the OPT, and you receive a Statement of Need and then you decide to use the OPT, the following year you're going to be in trouble if the US hospital won't pay for an H1B. By that time, your Statement of Need is stale dated and the ECFMG will ask you to get another ne that has a current date. it is possible you could be ineligible for a statement of Need by that time. Better to get confirmation when you go for interviews for residency that the H1B will be available to you.
How likely is it to get an H1B Visa for primary care medicine? I heard the H1B visa is very hard to get since it costs the residency programs a lot of money so I am not relying on this.
If you do your first year residency under OPT and do not get the SON for J1 Visa the next year again, what other options do you have to continue the residency besides the H1B? I am Canadian and recently got accepted to an expensive osteopathic medical school. As this is a huge investment of time and money, I do not want to take any risks due to not being able to complete residency because of VISA issues..
What exactly is the CONRAD 30 Waiver? From what I understand, if you have this, you do not need to return to practice medicine in an underserved area of Canada for 2 years as required by the Statement of Need for J1 visa. How likely is this to get?
 
How likely is it to get an H1B Visa for primary care medicine? I heard the H1B visa is very hard to get since it costs the residency programs a lot of money so I am not relying on this.
If you do your first year residency under OPT and do not get the SON for J1 Visa the next year again, what other options do you have to continue the residency besides the H1B? I am Canadian and recently got accepted to an expensive osteopathic medical school. As this is a huge investment of time and money, I do not want to take any risks due to not being able to complete residency because of VISA issues..
What exactly is the CONRAD 30 Waiver? From what I understand, if you have this, you do not need to return to practice medicine in an underserved area of Canada for 2 years as required by the Statement of Need for J1 visa. How likely is this to get?

The Statement of Need DOES NOT REQUIRE ANYONE TO RETURN TO THE HOME COUNTRY. The 2 year return to the home country requirement is ONLY a United States requirement attached to the J-1 Visa. I am amazed every time I see that misunderstanding! The SofN is not a contractual agreement. It does not require anyone to return to Canada let alone work in an underserved region in Canada.


No one can tell you how likely it is to get an H1B visa. You have to find this out when you go for interviews; ask the program director whether or not the H1B is allowed for that institution. You can include the topic in your interview. The reasons an institution would, or would not, is not entirely dependent on the cost. There are legal and political issues.

if you really want to live/work/practice in the US after training, you should insist on that visa. Don't waste Canada's time and effort on asking for a SofN.

What other options, you ask. None. The J-1 Visa is the specific visa that United States authorities have designed for PGME; savvy American lawyers found a way for doctors to use the H1B.

Use google search to find out more about waivers, or get help from an American immigration attorney.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
How likely is it to get an H1B Visa for primary care medicine? I heard the H1B visa is very hard to get since it costs the residency programs a lot of money so I am not relying on this.
If you do your first year residency under OPT and do not get the SON for J1 Visa the next year again, what other options do you have to continue the residency besides the H1B? I am Canadian and recently got accepted to an expensive osteopathic medical school. As this is a huge investment of time and money, I do not want to take any risks due to not being able to complete residency because of VISA issues..
What exactly is the CONRAD 30 Waiver? From what I understand, if you have this, you do not need to return to practice medicine in an underserved area of Canada for 2 years as required by the Statement of Need for J1 visa. How likely is this to get?

NewCanadian gives factual advice, but has a terrible attitude which you need to disregard. If you want to only apply for an H1B visa then do it. If you want to apply for a J-1, then do it. The moral is, do what is right for you and ignore crap comments such as "Don't waste Canada's time and effort on asking for a SofN."

H1B is difficult to get but not impossible. You can reach out to programs while in medschool to see if they sponsor it and apply to them specifically although it will severely limit the number of programs you apply to.

If you really want to live/work in the US your first, second, third and fourth goal is Matching! Applying for programs that sponsor J1 will greatly increase your chances of doing that. After that, there are options for staying in the US on a J-1 including doing Return of Service in the US as a primary care provider in an under serviced area which will get you out of the Home Country return clause. Again, it all comes down to what is best for you.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Thanks for your insights! Is there a limit to the number of residency programs you can apply to? Can I apply to almost all FM/IM residency programs that sponsor H1B and J1 and choose a residency from my offers?
I am interested in family medicine and internal medicine. As of now, the limit to the SONs issued for these residencies surpasses the number that apply (i.e., FM- 295 limit, 183 issued and IM- 200 limit, 195 issued). But in the future, I think it is very likely the number of applicants will surpass the limit of SONs, even for primary care residencies, since 1) There are more medical schools opening up in the states and thus, more medical students applying for residencies. 2) The primary care SONs are expected to decrease. 3) Medical school graduates requiring VISAs will be forced to choose primary care due to the very limited SONs issued for specialty residencies. And from what I understand, the only other option besides J1 visa is the H1B visa, which is difficult to get. Going to a US DO school as a Canadian seems like a very risky investment now.. (Please correct me if my prediction is inaccurate.)
I also wanted to clarify the route to returning to Canada as a US DO graduate as a Canadian if you choose to do an ACGME residency in the USA: You need to write the RSCPC exam - What is the pass rate on this (I heard it wasn't high)? Do you need to write the MCCEE, MCCQE and NAC OSCE exams as well?
@NewCanadian, According to the COMSA website, "The J1 is a student visa, which means you can not moonlight on it. Additionally, once you finish your training, there is a home residency requirement, which means you need to return to Canada for 2 years before you can reenter the US on a different visa (such as an H1B visa). Ways to get around that include working in a federally or state designated underserved area for 3 years, or working in a government institution (such as the VA hospital) for 3 years." http://www.studentdo.ca/drupal_beta/osteopathic_students/residency/us
 
Guys what are we doing about this?
There's nothing you can do. Putting yourself in the position of needing the visa is, and was always, a risk. Canada doesn't have enough jobs for all our CMGs, so they have every right, and should, make it harder for IMGs to enter until the problem is reversed.
 
There's nothing you can do. Putting yourself in the position of needing the visa is, and was always, a risk. Canada doesn't have enough jobs for all our CMGs, so they have every right, and should, make it harder for IMGs to enter until the problem is reversed.

Really? Should make it harder for IMGs?
Isn't it already very hard for IMGs to get into residency and fellowship programs in Canada.
Oh may be you want nothing to be left for them and those slots should go to some bunch of losers who are not even fit to become a doctor; barely could pass exams and too bad to do clinical stuff.
And who told you there are not enough jobs when we wait for months or even years for appointments.
One can get educated and trained wherever it wants. Its upto RCPS to give them license or not to practise in Canada.
 
Really? Should make it harder for IMGs?
Isn't it already very hard for IMGs to get into residency and fellowship programs in Canada.
Oh may be you want nothing to be left for them and those slots should go to some bunch of losers who are not even fit to become a doctor; barely could pass exams and too bad to do clinical stuff.
And who told you there are not enough jobs when we wait for months or even years for appointments.
One can get educated and trained wherever it wants. Its upto RCPS to give them license or not to practise in Canada.

Clearly you know nothing about the current job market. The issue is money, i.e. we certainly need doctors, but the government won't pay. Look it up. Google.

And so yes, it should be that if Canadian tax dollars subsidize Canadian med school education, giving those people jobs first is in the best interest of all Canadians.

And to your comment about us 'bunch of losers'.....well I'll just leave that. You can pretend that virtually all Canadians who go to med school in the Caribbean, Ireland, AU, or US-DO schools just do it for the better weather ;)
 
Clearly you know nothing about the current job market. The issue is money, i.e. we certainly need doctors, but the government won't pay. Look it up. Google.
Look at what you said before and now. And Google the definition of job. I guess wrong selection of words to explain what is well-known.

And so yes, it should be that if Canadian tax dollars subsidize Canadian med school education, giving those people jobs first is in the best interest of all Canadians.
So you don't count someone who immigrated here as Canadian.
CMGs are already highly protected.
And to your comment about us 'bunch of losers'.....well I'll just leave that. You can pretend that virtually all Canadians who go to med school in the Caribbean, Ireland, AU, or US-DO schools just do it for the better weather ;)
Please say that to those who have gone there. I am not one of those rich parents kid. The place I come from, students there can take on this so called MCAT in their High School. So, again a bad presumption of yours.
 
Look at what you said before and now. And Google the definition of job. I guess wrong selection of words to explain what is well-known.


So you don't count someone who immigrated here as Canadian.
CMGs are already highly protected.

Please say that to those who have gone there. I am not one of those rich parents kid. The place I come from, students there can take on this so called MCAT in their High School. So, again a bad presumption of yours.
@ranjit_buttar,
@ConfusedChemist is right. They're being rude about it, and that's not okay, but it's true what was said. In Canada there is a doctor shortage in areas that people tend to not want to live and put down roots in. These are mostly rural areas. The shortage is because the Canadian government (through funds sent to the provinces) pays for the salaries of the doctors and more importantly, the cost of the actual tests, medicine etc that the patient needs. One of the greatest fears of any socialized government paying for the healthcare of its people isn't just more doctors that the government might not afford. It's idle doctors. Canada was introduced to this problem in the early 90s (or maybe 80s I'm not sure). There were plenty of doctors at this time, and the average family physician had a roster of far fewer patients than the family physician of today. However, what happened wasn't that the doctors worked less since they had fewer patients; rather, they simply ordered more tests, more investigations that lead to more or less safe, however unnecessary costs to the government that had to foot the bill for all those extra investigations. This was because doctors then and still, now to a substantial extent, get paid via "fee-for-service". This means that as a physician, the more things I do to a patient the more I get paid. So doctors at that time were incentivized to do more even though it might not necessarily be needed. So, to cut costs, the government decided to restrict the number of doctors practicing in Canada to make sure that they are so busy they can only afford to spend the minimum amount of time per patient that results in safe care, even if it means ordering fewer tests and catching a few less diseases. It sounds cruel and it kinda is, but at the end of the day its a cost/benefit analysis that every government has to make. Where @ConfusedChemist is wrong is to assume that because someone was a second rate medical school applicant which forced them to go outside of Canada to train to become a doctor that makes them necessarily a second rate doctor. @ConfusedChemist might have a point if we lived in a world without electives, reference letters, or board scores so all we have to go off of regarding one's qualification is their perceived mediocrity in their early twenties but that isn't the world we live in. So take what she says with a grain of salt; but also understand that she does have an admirable understanding of the competitiveness and difficulty it takes to get a job in a market that functions to maintain high salaries for those with a job by ensuring only a select few get that job and we are all very lucky to have her on these forums, honestly.
 
@ranjit_buttar,
@ConfusedChemist is right. They're being rude about it, and that's not okay, but it's true what was said. In Canada there is a doctor shortage in areas that people tend to not want to live and put down roots in. These are mostly rural areas. The shortage is because the Canadian government (through funds sent to the provinces) pays for the salaries of the doctors and more importantly, the cost of the actual tests, medicine etc that the patient needs. One of the greatest fears of any socialized government paying for the healthcare of its people isn't just more doctors that the government might not afford. It's idle doctors. Canada was introduced to this problem in the early 90s (or maybe 80s I'm not sure). There were plenty of doctors at this time, and the average family physician had a roster of far fewer patients than the family physician of today. However, what happened wasn't that the doctors worked less since they had fewer patients; rather, they simply ordered more tests, more investigations that lead to more or less safe, however unnecessary costs to the government that had to foot the bill for all those extra investigations. This was because doctors then and still, now to a substantial extent, get paid via "fee-for-service". This means that as a physician, the more things I do to a patient the more I get paid. So doctors at that time were incentivized to do more even though it might not necessarily be needed. So, to cut costs, the government decided to restrict the number of doctors practicing in Canada to make sure that they are so busy they can only afford to spend the minimum amount of time per patient that results in safe care, even if it means ordering fewer tests and catching a few less diseases. It sounds cruel and it kinda is, but at the end of the day its a cost/benefit analysis that every government has to make. Where @ConfusedChemist is wrong is to assume that because someone was a second rate medical school applicant which forced them to go outside of Canada to train to become a doctor that makes them necessarily a second rate doctor. @ConfusedChemist might have a point if we lived in a world without electives, reference letters, or board scores so all we have to go off of regarding one's qualification is their perceived mediocrity in their early twenties but that isn't the world we live in. So take what she says with a grain of salt; but also understand that she does have an admirable understanding of the competitiveness and difficulty it takes to get a job in a market that functions to maintain high salaries for those with a job by ensuring only a select few get that job and we are all very lucky to have her on these forums, honestly.

Thanks for your detailed comment. I am pretty aware of the bottom line that it boils down to reducing healthcare costs. I think they need to think about this as 2 separate things: Education/training and licensing. In any other field in Canada, one can get any education or training in the world but only when one tries to get a job, one's credentials are evaluated and can be restricted there. It should be same here in this medical field. RCPS and Health Canada can make the Canadian system stricter for IMGs but they cannot control where one can get trained or educated in the world. Yeah in this respect, I would go far to the extent to agree with @ConfusedChemist, that Canada can simply black list schools or training programs that they think are producing Medicos in bulk by simply taking huge money from them and not admitting based on their credentials.
The policy needs to be consistent and not arbitrary. Think about people who do residency on H1B. They will bypass all these restrictions that are put on J1 visa residents. Isn't the policy inconsistent and inefficient in what it tried to achieve. My point here is that these kind of cost-cutting measures need to be implemented at the level of practice (reducing healthcare costs) and not controlling where one gets education from. They simply cannot make us scapegoats. Instead of fixing the system, they cannot stop anyone getting trained or educated from anywhere in the world they want. Its a free country. Tell me where you find similar restrictions anywhere in the whole world.
@ConfusedChemist Do you know under current policy, if someone who studied in one of those schools you mentioned and manages to get residency in Canada due to his or his medico parents connections, will have advantage over CMG (who went on to do residency at top US residency progs, say Mayo or Harvard) in getting into competitive fellowship in US. That CMG won't be able to do fellowship in continuation of residency. Is that justified for CMG who has dedicated his life and burned the midnight oil to ace MCAT.
 
Any real way to make a change? These changes are just prohibitive and down right s**k.
 
Any real way to make a change? These changes are just prohibitive and down right s**k.
Write letters to ministry like we all have been doing...our careers are at stake...we sacrificed most of our life to reach here and when it comes to fruition, they cannot simply decide where we get educated..its illegal
 
Hello Dr, I'm a Canadian medical graduat so I dont need the SON but I'll be applying for the match. I just want to ask if the fact that were CMG's discriminate us from obtaining a competitive speciality as there isnt much word going around bout this?
In your case you managed to get a great one!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hello Dr, I'm a Canadian medical graduate (Non canadian) so I dont need the SON but I'll be applying for the match for Plastics. I just want to ask if the fact that were CMG's discriminate us from obtaining a competitive speciality as there isnt much word going around bout this?
In your case you managed to get a great one!
If you did not do residency in Canada, and are on J1 visa, you are affected by this..
 
If you did not do residency in Canada, and are on J1 visa, you are affected by this..

Pardon my ignorance, but I don't understand why Canadians want to train in U.S. residencies: is it because you have more options to specialize? Are the residency working conditions better? I'm contemplating applying to med school outside of the U.S., because I don't think the healthcare system here is sustainable.
 
The only place I can train in is in Newfoundland. There are more spots in the US that's accessible to me plus we're in the same ballpark given that both US and Canadian schools are LCME accredited (program perception varies). However, most Canadians do prefer to stay back in Canada for their training. Thank you.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pardon my ignorance, but I don't understand why Canadians want to train in U.S. residencies: is it because you have more options to specialize? Are the residency working conditions better? I'm contemplating applying to med school outside of the U.S., because I don't think the healthcare system here is sustainable.
It's because 1/4 to 1/2 of the grads in things like surgery can't get jobs once their done 5-7 years of residency. So you might as well go sooner and build connections
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
From what I've read its mainly the surgical speciality grads that are struggling, I wouldn't be surprised if many fly down below to practice. Psychs are still fine I suppose and from what I've heard there are vacancies in many places, if you want to practice in a major city, you'd most probably have to take a pay cut. Money> Undesirable location or vice versa.
 
Wow, really? What's the job market like for psychiatrists in Ontario?
psyc is the best job market there is, lucky for you maybe. Anything procedural/surgical is bad to terrible though. Like, multiple fellowships and a grad degree to get a job kind of terrible (i.e ortho)
 
Pardon my ignorance, but I don't understand why Canadians want to train in U.S. residencies: is it because you have more options to specialize? Are the residency working conditions better? I'm contemplating applying to med school outside of the U.S., because I don't think the healthcare system here is sustainable.
various reasons:
1. Like any field of study, some want to pursue a training at top programs like Harvard, MGH, etc.
2. The US has much more transparent process than the Canadian system. If you are good, you get accepted.
3. Doctors more paid in the US (I heard family doctors do better in Canada) with less tax
4. Better weather
5. Dealing with RCPSC to get a license and even after that is a nightmare. It's a strong lobbyist group.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
various reasons:
1. Like any field of study, some want to pursue a training at top programs like Harvard, MGH, etc.
2. The US has much more transparent process than the Canadian system. If you are good, you get accepted.
3. Doctors more paid in the US (I heard family doctors do better in Canada) with less tax
4. Better weather
5. Dealing with RCPSC to get a license and even after that is a nightmare. It's a strong lobbyist group.

What kind of hoops does a Canadian grad have to jump through to get a RCPSC license? (I'm trained in USA)
 
Do you know how to fight to get the Statement of need?! If your quota was exceeded.
I could not apply in time and the quota is already full.
 
Hi Pathfinder,

I am also interested in this as I submitted "late" on Monday. When did you apply? Did you speak with someone who told you that the quota was full? Or how did you know? I applied for IM. Do you know how to go about the appeal?
 
Top