Naveen Bhora and Jessica Marks are presenting a free webinar on Visa Options for Physicians on Thursday, August 15th, 2013 at 12:30 (PT)/3:30 (ET).
Please follow the link to register.
Aga Khan University Alumni Association of North America
Connecting AKU Alumni in North America
Naveen Bhora and Jessica Marks are presenting a free webinar on Visa Options for Physicians on Thursday, August 15th, 2013 at 12:30 (PT)/3:30 (ET).
Please follow the link to register.
This week the U.S. Senate, led by the so-called “gang of eight,” released the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act”that has won the cautious approval of the White House and of advocates seeking an overhaul of the broken immigration system and, principally, a roadmap to citizenship for the nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.The bill also incorporates many provisions advocated by the International Medical Graduate Taskforce to protect physicians who practice in medically underserved communities and physicians engaging in graduate medical education.The provisions include:
It is too early to celebrate. This bill still has a long road to travel before becoming law — it needs to clear the Senate Judiciary Committee, pass a full vote (60) in the Senate and be reconciled with a corresponding bill from the House of Representatives, which has yet to be introduced. Accordingly, we encourage all physicians to contact senators and house representatives to support these provisions.
The Other Immigration “Season:” Many State J-1 Waiver Programs Will Begin Accepting Applications on October 1
By: Sarah J. Baker, Esq.
Each year, much is made of the H-1B “season” when U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) begins accepting H-1B visa petitions on April 1 for an October 1 employment start date. However, there is another much less publicized, yet important, immigration season that also deserves special mention: the Conrad 30 J-1 waiver program season.
Following the federal fiscal year, on October 1 each year numerous state departments of health begin accepting applications filed on behalf of foreign medical graduates (FMGs) to waive the two-year foreign residence requirement of their J-1 visa status. All FMGs who come to the United States in J-1 status to pursue graduate medical education are subject to this obligation, which requires them to return to their home country for a minimum of two years before applying for certain non-immigrant visas or seeking permanent residence in the United States.
Pursuant to the J-1 waiver program, each fiscal year state health departments and agencies can recommend up to 30 J-1 waivers for foreign physicians who are going to practice medicine in designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), mental health HPSAs, Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs), or serve Medical Underserved Populations (MUPs) 40 hours per week for a minimum of three years.
Below are some initial practical hints for FMGs to consider when evaluating their Conrad 30 J-1 waiver program options:
Before preparing and filing a waiver application with a state health department or agency, applicants must obtain a case number from the U.S. Department of State. The case number application fee is $215.00.
For additional information and more practical tips on state Conrad 30 J-1 waiver programs, please view: “Practical Guide to Conrad Waivers: Thirty, … Two, One, Gone!”
Please also do not hesitate to contact a Wolfsdorf Immigration Law Group attorney for assistance evaluating your J-1 waiver options.
© 2012 Wolfsdorf Immigration Law Group. All rights reserved.
Effective August 17, 2012, foreign national physicians may apply for permanent license to practice medicine anywhere in New York State. Physicians are no longer required to work in underserved areas. Those who are currently holding limited licenses will continue under the provisions of that license and will work in the underserved area until they obtain a permanent license.
This change of policy was based on a lawsuit filed by a small group of pharmacists against the New York State Education Department. In Dandamudi v Tisch, the pharmacists, who were all legally authorized to reside and work in the United States argued that New York Education Law § 6805(1)(6)’s requirement that only U.S. Citizens or Legal Permanent Residents (“LPRs”) are eligible to obtain a pharmacist’s license in New York is unconstitutional because it violates the Equal Protection and Supremacy Clauses of the United States Constitution. The Court of Appeals agreed with the plaintiffs and the District Court’s finding that the New York State law discriminates against those lawfully permitted to reside and work in the U.S. and there are no compelling reasons for the statute’s discrimination based on alienage.
For more information about licensure requirements in the State of New York, check the New York State Education Department website.
We have been informed of an alarming J-1 visa denial trend in India (especially at the US Consulate in Mumbai) for applicants who were previously in the US in B status for USMLE exams and residency interviews. ECFMG has been working on these cases and trying to get them reversed. It is possible that we will start to see similar denials at the US consulates in Pakistan. If you receive such a denial, please inform Irene Anthony at ECFMG – ianthony@ecfmg.org. Please be sure to include:
Please also note that APPNA’s Advocacy & Legislative Affairs Committee and the Committee for Young Physicians (CYP) has been able to facilitate the J-1 & H-1 visa issues for several young physicians applying from Pakistan. Please feel free to contact the CYP committee at info@cyponline.net