FOR CANADIANS: J1 OR H1

[daktari]

I have been accepted to Saba for September 2005. Currently live in Toronto (Richmond Hill).

Wondering if fellow Canucks have a sense of what visa previous students have gone for or what visa are you planning to go with: HI or JI for your residency.

Also it appears that it is an extra year (after MD) to get your H1 visa sorted out. Wondering if this is also the case for J1 - i.e. do you need an additional year (after MD) to get the visa sorted out?

daktari.

[aspiringDOC]

Hey daktari,

very interesting user name, would you care to elaborate on it?

[ValuelessMD]

...........

[daktari]

Hey aspiringDOC

the word 'daktari' is 'doctor' in Swahili.

how did your interview go?

daktari.

[aspiringDOC]

Regarding my interview, i find out in approximately 1 week.

I'm assuming u're either from Tz or Kenya (or from the general East African vicinity ...) Is my assumption wrong?

May i venture to say Jambo?

[Audio]

I visited Kenya for the first time this summer. Amazing country, amazing people.

[studentMD]

Rank order of hospital preference:
US FMG's
Green Card FMG's
HIB Visa FMG's
J1 Visa FMG's

I don't want to burst any bubbles, but, hospitals aren't going to go out of their way to get you a H1B Visa unless you are an outstanding student. There already exists alot of US Citizens and Green Card holders becoming FMGs that can fill the left over residency vacancies from US MD/DO medical schools. The J1 Visa is really a dead end. It is basically an exchange/training visa with a defined time line. Once the time expires, you will have to return to Canada for 2 years before re-applying for an immigration visa to the US. Also, I wouldn't hold your breath to obtaining a Canadian residency position as a FMG.


actually programs prefer J1 visas over H1 visas, for an h1 the hospital has to sponsor you for a j1 u go through ecfmg, less trouble for the hospital... more and more hospitals are moving away from h1 and beginning to state j1 visa only not h1...

as an applicant it would be in ur best interest to get an H1, but from the programs perspective, they prefer a j1...

there are still a bunch of programs that sponsor both (and when they do they dont care h1 or j1) but going through the interview season this yr, ive found that less programs are offering an h1..

all that being said, ive had my fair share of interviews at programs that sponsor h1s, but u are most definately at a disadvantage when compared to someone that already has a greencard.. u limit the programs u can apply to significantly

as far as it taking an extra yr for an h1..
well that depends on when u finish ur clinicals.. which depends on which semester you actually start basic sciences, how much time u take off between rotations and how long u take off to study for the boards...

i finished everything mid december 2004.. and i have more than enough time to get everything together and processed to start jul 2005. already passed step 1, 2ck, 2cs before i finished, so all i have left is step 3 which im taking in the next couple of weeks.

if u finish clinicals in for example end of may.. where students without visa issues would have no problems starting in july of the same yr, a canadian needing an h1 well be pressed for time to get paperwork submitted and take and pass step 3, in that case u would end up having to
wait until july of the following yr to start.

so the issue really depends on when u actually finish clinicals as opposed to a set standard amt of time u have to "take off"

[Audio]

do u have to pay back your student loans in this time?

[daktari]

Hey StudentMD

thanks very much for your insighful response and good luck with Step 3!

daktari

[scoobz1981]

If you are just starting in September, I wouldnt worry too much about the Visa for residency yet. Just try to stay focused on finishing the basic sciences and take things one step at a time.

Val