Thread: H-1B visa's are they not given out anymore?

Hello,

I just was informed by the medical school that I plan on attending that the US does not give out H-1B visa' s for Canadians, is this true? I thought I heard of many Canadians that got this visa, I hate to have just the J-1 as my only option... any information would be great.

Thanks a bunch,
Laura

Is this a foreign school or US school that told u this? If it is a US school, are u looking for an H1 just to attend the school? U would not normally be able to obtain an H1 just for attending school. An H1 is a work visa, so u must be sponsored by an employer. I HIGHLY doubt that the US would stop giving H1's out altogether, but a residency program can decide not to sponsor H1's though. Is it hard to get an H1.....yes. Impossible, no.

Thanks Stepchow for the information, I was not aware that it was a work visa. I am going to a Car. school and wanted to do my residency under the H-1 B visa. Are you a Canadian? If so were you able to get a H-1B visa sponser? As well, I read that some states will waiver the j-1 visa, I do not mind working in the middle of nowhere just as long as I do not get stuck in Canada for two years without work. But, I do not know how hard this would be too get since Canada is first world...
Laura

Yes, I'm a Canadian citizen also. And yes, I'm on an H1 visa. Just to give u an idea, I had avg board scores and I applied to almost 40 programs. Only 5 were willing to sponsor H1's. If I wasn't able to match to an H1 program, I probably would've ended up taking a J1 offer rather than sitting out a year. As for J1 waiver, it's much harder to now. It's still possible though, although I haven't looked much into it since I got the H1. Anyways, good luck!

stepchow has some amazing posts on this forum regarding H1B visa and match process/timeline for Canadians. It'd be best if you first scroll down and consult previous posts.