Temporary J-1 visa for medical electives.

[Kreton 0]

I am a medical resident training at a Canadian Medical School/Hospital in Canada. I want to do a subspecialty elective at a hospital in the US. I began planning and preparing for the elective this spring when the US granted temporary J-1 visas sponsored by the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). In June of this year, the State Department stopped this program and I am not sure where to find information about how I can proceed with this elective without the J-1. I have spoken to the representatives at the State Department and at Customs and Border Patrol and they were not allowed to give me definitive information. They did indicate that as a Canadian, I would not need a visa to train in the US if I was not being compensated by the US program and referred me to their websites to find official information. I could not find anything on their websites that clearly states what they indicated and the Hospital in the US will not allow me to train in their program unless I have a visa. For the elective, I will only be compensated by my Canadian program. No financial support will be coming from the US hospital. Also, I will be under the supervision of an attending physician at the US hospital and the elective position I will have is not one that can be filled by a paid US citizen or permanent resident.

If anyone has any help or advice, it would be greatly appreciated.

[Boiler 43,429]

Sounds like you are actually doing something rather than just watching?

[Kreton 0]

Yes, you are exactly correct. It is not an observership. It is a medical elective. I will be on a subspecialty service like nephrology or endocrinology. I will be meeting with patients, taking their medical histories etc and then discussing the case with an attending physician. The attending physician will be ultimately responsible for the care of the patient. Residence from Canada and other countries have been doing this type of training in the US for years. And before 2016, it was quite easy to get a J-1 visa for this type of elective. As a Canadian Resident who went to a Canadian Medical School and passed all my medical board exams, I am legally allowed to do more than just observe as long as I am under the supervision of an Attending physician. I also must purchase malpractice insurance to do electives in the US. The problem, as I stated above, is that ECFMG is no longer sponsoring temporary J-1 visas. There is no explanation of why this was done or what, if anything, has replaced this program.

[Boiler 43,429]

You need some sort of status that allows you to work, J1 is the obvious, your sponsor should know.

You are obviously doing work, being paid or otherwise is not relevant.