Hi everyone,
I'm currently in Student J-1 status (Academic Training with 2 year home residency requirement 212[e]) after completing an MD/PhD in 2024, and I'm now in an ABIM research-track internal medicine residency. My long-term goal is to become a physician-scientist, so moving to an ECFMG-sponsored Physician J-1 for residency and a fellowship feels like the natural next step in my exchange objective. ECFMG has advised me to apply for a Change of Category: Departure, but they mentioned that the Department of State may view this less favorably because I've been in Student J-1 status for over four years.
Has anyone had experience with this type of transition? How does the Department of State generally view a Change-of-Category request when the proposed training is clearly the next step in the same exchange objective? Any insights, advice, or things I should watch out for would be incredibly helpful.Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts or experiences!
I'm currently in Student J-1 status (Academic Training with 2 year home residency requirement 212[e]) after completing an MD/PhD in 2024, and I'm now in an ABIM research-track internal medicine residency. My long-term goal is to become a physician-scientist, so moving to an ECFMG-sponsored Physician J-1 for residency and a fellowship feels like the natural next step in my exchange objective. ECFMG has advised me to apply for a Change of Category: Departure, but they mentioned that the Department of State may view this less favorably because I've been in Student J-1 status for over four years.
Has anyone had experience with this type of transition? How does the Department of State generally view a Change-of-Category request when the proposed training is clearly the next step in the same exchange objective? Any insights, advice, or things I should watch out for would be incredibly helpful.Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts or experiences!