Guest K2Optimist Posted July 13, 2005 Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 There have been some recent posts about what visas Canadian MD's are eligible for, specifically J-1 vs. H1-B. For a Canadian who completes med school and residency in the US, which visa should he/she apply for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Wong Posted July 13, 2005 Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 If you are a Canadian citizen trying to do a residency in the US, you can do your residency on either a J-1 visa, or an H1B visa. The H1B visa is preferable to the J-1 visa. On a J-1, you are required to come back to Canada for 2 years following the completion of your training. Once you serve out that 2 year obligation, you are then eligible to go back to the US if you can find an employer who will sponsor you for an H1B visa. The J-1 visa is a training visa only, and can't be used for employment purposes outside of residency/fellowship. If you are a Canadian citizen, have already completed your residency, and want to work as a physician in the US, you need an H1B visa. If you are a Canadian citizen, and have completed med school (ie. you are considered a physician), you can work in the US (in research and teaching areas only; no clinical work with patients) on something called a TN visa. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest K2Optimist Posted July 14, 2005 Report Share Posted July 14, 2005 Thanks for the info! I only wish there could be more security about obtaining a visa after residency ... I mean, your fate is pretty much in the hands of US immigration and if they are in the mood to let a friendly Canadian MD into the country! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest moo Posted July 14, 2005 Report Share Posted July 14, 2005 If you are willing to go anywhere in the US, then it shouldn't be too hard securing an H1b visa. However, in some of the bigger cities (SF, Chicago, NY, LA, etc.) it might be more difficult because there is already an oversaturation of specialties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Wong Posted July 15, 2005 Report Share Posted July 15, 2005 If you are willing to go anywhere in the US, then it shouldn't be too hard securing an H1b visa. I would also add the caveat that in addition to location, your specialty choice will also have a dramatic effect on your chances of getting an H1B visa. Very competitive specialties generally tend to favour US graduates and have very limited experience with applicants who need visas. These residency programs are usually very reluctant to sponsor people for H1B visas because of the paperwork and time expense, and are able to do so since there are so many other highly qualified applicants. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest K2Optimist Posted July 15, 2005 Report Share Posted July 15, 2005 It seems like planning on a residency in the states can be risky, for a number of reasons. Ian, moo, thanks for your feedback. Just one more follow-up question: what are your thoughts/experiences about US med school followed by a Canadian residency? Besides the monumental task of paying back loans for US$$ tuition, are there many hurdles to getting in the CaRMS system after completing a MD in the US? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rads Posted July 19, 2005 Report Share Posted July 19, 2005 There is no point to going to the states and then returning to Canada for residency. The opportunity cost doesn't make sense. It's a much, much better deal to do med school in Canada and then go state-side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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