Canadian citizen wants to practice medicine in the US. Help

[Guest Gexar]

Hey everyone,

 

I would really like to practice medicine in the US. I was born in Canada and lived here all my life.

 

I am still in undergraduate studies in Ontario, and I need some advice on what I have to do to be able to practice medicine in the US and become an American citizen and/or obtain a Green Card.

 

Should I apply to American medical schools?

 

What other things do I need to do to be able to stay in the US after I obtain my MD so I can start a new life there?

 

Thank you,

 

Gexar

[Guest Gexar]

Bump.

 

Please help me someone

[Guest moo]

You can check the FAQs and browse previous posts. I think most of your questions have been answered before.

 

In short, yes you should apply to US schools and plan to attend one if your goal is practice in the US.

 

The process to becoming a US citizen is long. YOu need to finish your med school, apply for residency, get an H1b visa (as opposed to the J1) and then finish residency and convert your H1b into a green card.

 

Focus on your undergrad studies now. Worry about the logistics later. Good luck.

[Guest Gexar]

Hi Moo.

 

I want to make sure. IT IS possible for me to live and work in the US as a Canadian Citizen? I have wanted to live and work there for a very long time. I want to practice medicine in the US and have a family. Is it possible for this to happen?

 

Thank you for your help Moo

[Guest rads]

The biggest issue, as Moo cited, is the visa issue. Without a visa you cannot legally live or work in the US.

 

Once accepted to a US med school, you will be provided a F1 student visa. This lasts for the duration of your studies plus an additional year afterwards. Most hospitals will issue J1 visas freely as I believe these is little effort for them to obtain these. The caveat is that you HAVE to leave the US for two-years after completing residency (there is NO WAY around this... even if you do get married to an American citizen).

 

The best visa to get in your situation would be the H1 visa. This visa does not force you to leave afterwards... But, it is hard for a hospital to get this for you since there is a lot of paperwork (basically, they have to prove to the US Gov't that no qualified american could do your job!). A few of my Canadian friends have had to hire a lawyer and pay about $15,000 to get them to do the paperwork for an H1 on behalf of the hospital. Small drop in the bucket if you ask me.

 

The best way to stay in the US though is to get married. Seriously... You will be approved as a permanent resident (basically a full US citizen without voting privileges) in 6 months.

 

Finally, another concern is that during residency interviews, PD's may ask you whether there are going to be 'problems' or 'paperwork' involved to hire you. This may pose an issue for matching or interviewing at some programs (i.e. you will not get interviews... there is a space on the NRMP form asking what your 'status' in the US is --- PR, H1, etc.).

 

Good luck!

[Guest Gexar]

Hi rads.

 

How would I go about getting a H1 Visa if I am accepted to an American medical school? I really want to move to the US and live there, get married and have a family.

 

If i'm accepted in the US, what should I do to ensure I can stay there permanently [even if I'm not allowed to vote]?

 

Thanks,

 

Gexar

[Guest Jochi1543]

What visa you get depends on what visa your school offers. I don't think there's much you can do about it. F-1 is the usual student visa, but the setback is that it doesn't allow you to work while you're studying (so you can't moonlight during residency or anything like that).

 

Just apply, get accepted, see what visa they give you, GET that visa - this may not happen on the first try - nobody wants you to stay in the US and it may be hard to convince the consular officer that you'd rather return to Canada where you'd be paid less....and med school is cheaper anyway. Do your work, apply for residency. If you get accepted in the States, you've lucked out, if they don't wanna deal with your foreign status - too bad, but other than the marriage solution, there isn't any other way to go about it. As far as marriage goes - I wouldn't make a blanket generalization that you'll have a green card in 6 months, this depends on the state, and the process has become longer and more difficult since 9/11. I know a Japanese citizen married to an American soldier and living in the States. She's been here for 2 years and still doesn't have a work permit (you'd think with him serving the country, they'd hurry up, but no). US (and Canada too, according to my understanding) are also well aware of the issue with convenience marriages and they will do a pretty good job of ensuring your marriage is for real. Since my grandfather is an immigrant (you'll get about 18,000 Google hits on his name since he's a world-renowned scientist, but he STILL had a lot of trouble getting his green card), I've heard all kinds of stories from other immigrants. I know one woman actually had officials show up at her door at 3 AM and ask where her husband was and search the apartment. They were looking for male underwear and things like that. It was a while ago (mid-90s), and I hope they've gotten over such invasions of people's privacy, but given all the racial profiling of immigrants that's going on and all the other nasty stuff, I'm not so sure.

 

Just do what you gotta do and it's gonna work out for you. I spent 2.5 years of my undergrad figuring out how to stay in the US - if I didn't get a job after graduation, my F-1 visa required me to leave the country for 2 years. Next thing you know, a Canadian PR card just happens, and now I have nothing to worry about, as to me the difference between Canada and US is not that significant. Good luck!

[Guest Gexar]

Hi Jochi

 

Assuming I got the usual F-1 student Visa, after applying to a specific residency in the US, how would I go about 'upgrading' my status to gettting a green card or permanent citizen who can practice medicine in the States?

 

Thanks,

 

Gexar

[Guest rads]

Once you get into a US medical school, you will automagically be issued an F1 student visa. This visa is specifically for those studying in the US (whether it be for undergrad, graduate, medical, business, or etc. school). It is also known as the "Student Visa". It does allow you to work with limitations. You can only work 20 hours during the school year, but can work full-time during vacations. Your employer must have some formal agreement with your school (i.e. school cafeteria, bookstore, lab, etc). Upon finishing school, the F1 allows you to work for an additional year. This is valuable since it allows you to do internship while you are trying to get another visa.

 

Your next step, if you don't marry an American citizen, is to acquire a H1 Visa. This is a "dual intent" visa meaning that you are coming to the US temporarily to work, but also are seeking Permanent residency. After two-years of holding the H1, you would then apply for a green-card under the EB-3 code, "Skilled or professional workers". I don't know how competitive this is though since I never applied...

 

You may be able to enter the green card lottery if you are either born or a national of a under-represented minority in the US. Google search "green card lottery" for more info. Actually, Google all of the above for more info. There's a ton of sites on this topic, and don't think that since you will be an MD that you get special privileges over others looking for PR... It doesn't happen (unfortunately). :|

 

Good luck!

[Guest rads]

Jochi.

 

Jochi is right about the wait about getting PR after getting married. While you are waiting for your green card though, you will get an EAD (employment authorization document) that will allow you to work... So, it's all good.

 

My PR interview was pretty chill. Basically, asked how we met, how long we've been seeing each other, our wedding photos, what we did for a living, etc. Pretty chill. No knocking on doors in the middle of the night. My attorney did tell me though that if they suspect something is wrong, they'll separate the couple and ask them questions like, "So what side of the bed does he sleep on?", "What color is the lampshade in your bedroom", etc.