HELP PLEASE- need some advice!!!

[Alastriss]

The H1B visa wont do anything for you in terms of matching to canada for a surgical residency. It'll make you a more favourable candidate for matching to the US for surgical residency. Is getting the H1B visa difficult.....hmmm I've read a lot of controversy on the topic. As far as I know, you need USMLE step3 to be eligible for H1B ..but usually you dont do step3 until you're already IN your 2nd year of residency..see the problem?? you need the visa to get into residency but you wont be eligible until you do a test that you're supposed to do when you're already in residency.

 

People have posted on this board (from information off SDN) that apparently the needing step 3 for H1B is not true...I don't know. I'm not in the US so I havent looked into it.

 

I don't know how easy it would be to match to residency in surgery if you've done your MD at a carib school. I've heard of students from caribs matching to competitive specialties such as radiology so it's not impossible.

 

I agree with the others. Take it one step at a time. For now, worry about getting in somewhere and see where that takes you. In the end, you can always do whatever you want - it may just take a little longer.

 

 

Madz is right. That isn't a big problem though. You can extend your F1 student visa before you graduate, for something called an OPT year? I am not sure. Yet I know that sonyvaio and another program director on SDN said you can extend your F1 visa for one year. You still have to tell the residency program that you will need an H1B visa starting your PGY-2 year.

 

Here is the problem with the H1B. It is good for 3 years. It can be renewed once, so it's good for 6 years. Thus, you are ok for 1 + 3 + 3 years. I don't know how long general surgery is, but you may run into difficulties if you need more time.

 

Don't be fooled by the match lists at carrib schools. A lot of those students are in fact US citizens or permanent residents so it will be easier for them to match.

[wantobeadoc]

OK thanks alot guys, ill focus on admissions first, and worry about residency in due time. I will be submitting my application within a few days, if you guys can suggest a few more schools to consider besides the ones mentioned on the 2nd page it would be great. Im aiming to apply to 20-25 schools and so far i have about 17 on my list.