Does doing US residency as a Canadian IMG on a J-1 guarantee you a job in the US

E

EdmontonOilers

Registered Users (C)
Hey guys,

I am a Canadian citizen doing my medical degree in Ireland at University College Dublin. I want to write the USMLEs and get an internal medicine residency in the US on a J-1 visa. I am not interested in practicing medicine back in Canada. I hear the H1-B would be really hard for me to get as there is a limited amount given out in the US so for now I believe I will try and get a residency in the US on a J-1 visa. In addition, I would have to take a year off to write the USMLE step 3 to be elligible for the H1-B.

After I finish my residency on a J-1 it seems like I would have 2 options. I could either get a J-1 waiver and work in the US in an underserviced area for 3 to 5 years and then eventually get an H1-B visa or greencard. Or if I didnt get the J-1 waiver I would have to return to Canada for 2 years doing a fellowship or research before I could apply back to the US for a job in internal medicine and have a hospital sponsor me on the H1-B. Please note that it would be very hard for me as a canadian IMG to get a fellowship so I would most likely be doing research and observerships for these 2 years.

RECENTLY I HAVE BECOME WORRIED ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO FIND A JOB IN THE US AFTER MY US RESIDENCY.

If i get a J-1 waiver I would be able to get a job in an underserviced area and I would be happy with this. BUT if I go back to Canada for 2 years and then apply for IM jobs in the US after my 2 years return of service in Canada WOULD I BE ABLE TO FIND EMPLOYMENT AND A HOSPITAL TO SPONSOR ME ON THE H1-B? Many Canadians from Ireland have taken this route on the J-1 visa in the past BUT I HAVE NO WAY OF CONTACTING THEM TO SEE IF THIS ROUTE ACTUALLY WORKS and if they are getting jobs in the US after their two years back in Canada.

I am wondering if you guys know anything about this? Do you think if I got a residency in the US and passed my IM boards I would be pretty much guaranteed a job in the US eventually? Would it be hard for me to get a J-1 waiver?

Thanks so much for your help

Mike
 
I am a Canadian citizen doing my medical degree in Ireland at University College Dublin. I want to write the USMLEs and get an internal medicine residency in the US on a J-1 visa.

>>I do not see any problem, but why would you discount the possibility of coming in on a H1b visa?


I am not interested in practicing medicine back in Canada.

>>Why?


I hear the H1-B would be really hard for me to get as there is a limited amount given out in the US so for now I believe I will try and get a residency in the US on a J-1 visa.

>>Not as impossible as you seem to think, However the quota does expire fast some years, it did last year, but you never know what changes are coming, it is a year to year thing. The potential delays with processing are however less with premium processing nowadays.

In addition, I would have to take a year off to write the USMLE step 3 to be elligible for the H1-B.

>>Why? Gosh many people do all 3 steps in a year, Taking a whole year off for step 3 I think is overkill. If you decide to do it, I think there are only a handful of states that let you take it without residency training.

After I finish my residency on a J-1 it seems like I would have 2 options. I could either get a J-1 waiver and work in the US in an underserviced area for 3 to 5 years and then eventually get an H1-B visa or greencard.

>>Your Waiver is on a H1b visa, your employer can sponsor you during this time, though you cannot get the actual greencard during this time.

Or if I didnt get the J-1 waiver I would have to return to Canada for 2 years doing a fellowship or research before I could apply back to the US for a job in internal medicine and have a hospital sponsor me on the H1-B. Please note that it would be very hard for me as a canadian IMG to get a fellowship so I would most likely be doing research and observerships for these 2 years.

>>To date waivers in IM have not been impossible to find, may take some looking but not impossible. Returning to canada for research or fellowship is not a bad option either.

RECENTLY I HAVE BECOME WORRIED ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO FIND A JOB IN THE US AFTER MY US RESIDENCY.

>>What has got you so worried?

If i get a J-1 waiver I would be able to get a job in an underserviced area and I would be happy with this. BUT if I go back to Canada for 2 years and then apply for IM jobs in the US after my 2 years return of service in Canada WOULD I BE ABLE TO FIND EMPLOYMENT AND A HOSPITAL TO SPONSOR ME ON THE H1-B? Many Canadians from Ireland have taken this route on the J-1 visa in the past BUT I HAVE NO WAY OF CONTACTING THEM TO SEE IF THIS ROUTE ACTUALLY WORKS and if they are getting jobs in the US after their two years back in Canada. I am wondering if you guys know anything about this? Do you think if I got a residency in the US and passed my IM boards I would be pretty much guaranteed a job in the US eventually? Would it be hard for me to get a J-1 waiver?

>>No guarantees in life my friend, but read the above. It looks reasonable at this time especially since American Grads are not exactly lining up for residencies in IM at ths time.

Thanks so much for your help.

>>Hope that puts things in some perspective for you. You have a loooong road ahead, don't forget to enjoy life along the way!
 
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One year for step 3!! I took it a week after I landed in US. Ended on J for different reasons, but now most training programs are cap exempt and you shouldn't have a problem getting H1, just plan your applications such that you have enough interviews from H sponsoring programs.

It is good that you are planning ahead, but if you get too much involved in this stuff you will miss life altogether. Enjoy med school, Canada is not a bad place either. Many of us have it under consideration as a potential plan B, so you are way ahead of us, if that is any consolation.
 
I agree, plan ahead, but don't let the US immigration mess become the issue you think about first when you get up and last before you go to sleep.

Try to get an H1b. University hospitals and most non-profit hospitals are cap exempt, so this rarely becomes an issue.

Even with a J1. Spending 2 years in canada is not like a prison sentence. And last thing I know, there is no civil war there and you can make a decent living working as a physician in a medically underserved area.

Have you looked into the process yet that it takes to get the letter of need from health canada ? It is a bit complex, so you might want to plan ahead on that.

I studied 1 weekend for step3 (and scored 15 points better than step1 and 2). If you have some time to leaf through Swansons family practice and take some time to get familiarized with the quirks of these computer based case presentations, it is eminently passable. And nobody cares about your step3 score very much. It is not like step1 and 2ck that govern what level of residency you can get into. Passing is all that counts here.
 
Returning to US after 2 years in Canada

Hi guys,

Thanks very much for the replies.

Hey Hadron,

I dont mind the idea of spending two years return of service in Canada at all!!! It isnt this that is bothering me. What is bothering me is that I hope to practice medicine in the US after my 2 years return of service and I have no idea how hard it would be for me to get a job back in the US after my 2 years and have a hospital sponsor me on an H1-B!!!!

I cannot get in contact with any Canadians who went to Irish medical schools (or other foreing medical schools for that matter) that spent 2 years back in Canada after their residency in the US. Because of this I cant find out if they are getting jobs back in the US after their 2 years in Canada. I am worried that I might get stranded without a job in Canada after my 2 years. I realize that working in Canada after my 2 years is an option but I know of a couple Canadian IMGs who werent able to find work in Canada even after doing residencies in the US. Personally, I dont want to rely on Canada for a job at any point in my career because their legislation against foreign IMGs is very restrictive and I think it would be foolish to put stock into Canada as an reliable option for work as a physician ever.

Thanks
 
- most physicians on J1 who want to stay find a way to stay. Typically through state health department sponsored waiver positions, alternatively you can work for the veterans administration.

- if you are flexible in where you are willing to go, there is allways a job for a good physician in the US.

- In internal medicine, it is advisable to do a fellowship like cards or GI in order to be competitive. If there is a tight job market for physicians, it is for the 'IM only' kind of guys.

- if you go to canada to sit out your time, you can potentially get the process for permanent residency in the US started around the time you leave. You might be able to come back on a green-card without ever having to get an H1b.

- canada has a shortage of physicians. Several provinces have programs open to FMGs with overseas residency training. Even if you are not eligible for a license the regular way, for these area of need positions the physician colleges are willing to cut corners (except in Ontario).

- consider writing the LMCC. Also consider structuring your residency in a way that you are eligible for the RCPSC exam. You might have to do a 'chief resident' year to get the required times and rotations, but this would open more opportunities for you in canada.
 
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to Hadron

I appreciate the good work you do here Hadron.
That Canada post was really good.

Me and my wife are both in residency on H1B. Thanks to retrogression GC is stuck. I want to keep the option of going to Canada for a year before heading back. I am in surgery and my wife Anesthesia. I might follow your options at some point.

I tried sending you an email. Can you please let me know how to get in touch with you?

Thanks.
 
> Me and my wife are both in residency on H1B.

Lucky you.

> Thanks to retrogression GC is stuck.

You already have something cooking, good for you !

> I want to keep the option of going to Canada for a year before
> heading back.

Check out sites like:

www.healthmatchbc.org

which is a link to a non-profit agency that facilitates the placement of physicians into underserved communities in british columbia. No, you won't get a job in beautiful Vancouver, but if you are willing to work a year in scenic Prince George, BC (a paper mill town in the frozen north woods), they can help you out. If you apply, they check with the college of physicians and surgeons whether you would be eligible for a underserved area license (which is usually no problem with USMLE and US residency training) and facilitate communication with the managers for the hospitals/clinics in these underserved locations. I know someone who did this and after a couple of years decided that after all going back to the US wasn't the greatest option for him (he is in primary care). He wrote the LMCC and the GP college exam and now move to a regular practice in a suburban location.

Pretty much all provinces except for Ontario have a similar program, but none is as well organized as the one in BC. In other provinces, the health department just compiles a list of hard to fill public sector physician jobs and it is up to you to contact all the health districts for information. For someone supposedly desperately looking for a doc, some of these goverment buerocrats are extremely lethargic and it can be frustrating to follow down all these leads.

> I am in surgery and my wife Anesthesia.

LoL, so you can run a full-service shop ! Just open your own ASC. (I didn't marry such a complementing specialty. My wife and I are in very different fields which made looking for practice opportunities to say the least interesting.)

> I tried sending you an email. Can you please let me know how to get
> in touch with you?

Send me a private message here on the board.
 
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