J1 training visa, medical residency, Green Card, confused!

Sahil123

I'm thinking of doing residency in the US after I finish my course in medicine and so i've been doing some research. I'm pretty sure I understand the exams and stuff I need to give before being accepted for a residency program in America but other than that I am a little confused about actually living/working there.

From what I read online, I will be applying for a J1 training visa, which will last for 7 years and require me to return to Ireland for 2 years again before I can apply for another visa. I'm wondering if there is any way to avoid this?

Also, what would make me eligible to apply for a green card/ permanent residency? My goal/aim is to move to America and settle there permanently. Is there any way I can achieve this?

Any help/advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Dave1442397

A lot can happen in seven years!

If you meet an American citizen and get married, you can get a green card that way.

If you specialize in something like anesthesia or emergency surgery, you'll find it much easier to stay. Make the right connections during your residency and you should be able to get a hospital to sponsor you.

My wife works in a psychiatric hospital, and half the doctors are immigrants. One of them just quit yesterday, but he told my wife that at $240k/yr he was underpaid, as he is Board Certified in Child Psychology.

My father-in-law came here in the late '60s to do his residency, and never left. He is Board Certified in Emergency Room Surgery and has worked in some ERs that were like war zones - Newark, NJ and Camden, NJ to name a couple. He's now 87 and still works one or two days a week on a per diem basis, pulling in $125/hour. He keeps trying to retire, but the agency calls him non-stop to fill in for doctors on vacation, etc.

Sahil123

Thanks for the reply Dave :-) It has made me feel a lot better about my decision to sit the USMLEs and move to the US. I never even thought of the marriage thing!

It's good to hear that hospitals do sponsor immigrant doctors. From what I read online, I was under the impression that I would only be able to stay in the US if I applied for a job in one of the "underserved" areas.

It is also good to hear that doctors in the US are earning very well!

Just one question, since you said your wife works in a hospital in the US, would you say the working conditions are better/worse/much the same in the US vs Ireland for doctors?

Thanks again, for your reply!

Dave1442397

I have no idea how it is in Ireland, but most doctors I know say that managed care is making life difficult. Those with private practices say they need to see more patients to make the same money, and some have given up private practice to join a hospital, where they have less paperwork to keep up with. In any hospital, you'll have to fill in charts and make detail notes for the Utilization Review staff (else they'll hunt you down). Some places are going with all electronic records, which makes things easier.

Again, it depends on your specialty. I have a friend who's an anesthesiologist, and he said his residency was pretty tough, but now that he's done, life is easier. He also told me he gets $500/hour (or part hour) if he stays past his designated shift.

As with any profession, if you're good, and efficient, you can maximize your earning potential. One of the docs at my wife's place comes in at 6am, sees all his patients and is out the door by 8:30am, and off to his other job. No one cares, as long as he's not taking any shortcuts.

lonestargirl

While anyone who has done residency and passed their boards is very employable and likely to get sponsored for a work visa just be aware that marriage or winning the green card lottery do not get rid of the 2-year rule for J1s. In the past many people did residencies on H1b visas to avoid this rule but this is no longer all0wed. As you alluded to in your opening post serving in an underserved area is one way out of the requirement, this is not necessarily in the middle of nowhere, a lot of VA's for example would count.

Sahil123

Hi lonestargirl, thanks for your reply :-). Just to clarify, if I get sponsored for a work visa after residency, then I can avoid the 2 year rule right? Also, about the H1b visa, did you mean, it is no longer given out or just that the 2 year rule would apply on it anyway?

lonestargirl

No, 2 -year rule still applies but there are ways to get it waived (such as working in an underserved area). It is no longer permitted to do residency on a H1b.

Sahil123

Ah, OK! Thanks for clarifying