I am a Canadian who will be gradutating from SGU in June 2007. Is it possible to obtain a H1B or J1 visa in time to start a residency the same year as graduation, or do most people have to take a year off?

As far as I know (I could be wrong since I'm learning this myself) is that if you go for the J1, you can obtain a residency the same year. If you go for the H1B, you have to wait one year to match, but the benefit is that you don't have to return to your country of residence for 2 years after finishing your residency.

The thing I'm unsure of is regarding the one year wait with the H1B visa. I think the reason is because you need to write Step 3 and have your score to match with an H1B visa. So the question is, if you were to write Step 3 in advance prior to graduating would you be able to match the same year...I'm not sure.

Thanks for the reply. That's what I kind of figured, since the J1 goes through the DoL and only takes a few weeks to approve, while the H1B can take 4-6 months. There is an option to expedite the H1B visa application to 15 days by paying an extra $1000, but even then you're not guaranteed to get the visa in time to start a late summer residency. The reason you lose a year with the H1B is is because you need ECFMG certification to be eligible for Step 3, and in turn Step 3 to be eligible for H1B, which in turn takes 4-6 months. I was just wondering whether people had found a way around this problem, or accepted losing a year.

is it possible to switch from J1 to H1B? What do ppl do during their year off? Do ppl get denied visas after matching?

__________________
GL

If you graduate in June there's no way to get an H1B in time to start residency that year. You must graduate in order to be eligible for step 3. Furthermore, since there is a yealy limit on the number of H1Bs that can be issued, make sure that the hospitals to which you apply are exempt from this cap...the hospital must be non-profit or afilliated with a university (just how strong this afilliation must be is unclear...check with the hospital and ask if they are exempt). Good luck.

__________________
CanIMG
Moderator - Canadian IMG and Immigration Visa Forums