Physicians seeking to come to the US to work face a number of immigration obstacles. Fortunately, the Internet can provide some help. The following web sites may be of interest:
Law Firms
- Siskind, Susser, Haas & Chang – go to the US site index and look under “physicians” for articles describing immigration rules.
J-1 Visas
- United States Information Agency – this agency governs the J-1 visa program which is the visa most foreign medical residents use. The site has lots of information on the home residency requirement waiver process.
- Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates – ECFMG is the sponsor of physicians coming on J-1 medical residency programs. The web site’s information on J-1 programs is pretty limited, but it does have a lot of information on the USMLE Steps 1 and 2 as well as the ECFMG English test.
- The Rural Recruitment and Retention Network – a nice resource to find each state’s primary contact for inquiring about J-1 waivers.
- Health Professional Shortage Areas (“HPSAs”) – The Bureau of Primary Health Care contains an easy to navigate menu for finding out whether a specific geographic area may qualify for a home residency requirement waiver.
- USMLE information – Stanley Kaplan testing services has an information site on this subject.
Job Placement
- National Association of Physician Recruiters World Job Bank
- Association of Staff Physician Recruiters – organization for recruiters working directly for health care facilities
- Yahoo Directory of Physician Recruiting Companies
Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk. The information provided in this article has not been updated since its original posting and you should not rely on it until you consult counsel to determine if the content is still valid. We keep older articles online because it helps in the understanding of the development of immigration law.