H1 Versus J1

arrow007

Registered Users (C)
Hi,

I have a question, Which one is better J1 or H1. On J1 if a spouse gets J2, he she can work, on H4 they cannot work.
Second H1 is for 6 years as opposed to J1 which is 7 years
Third Waiver on J1 is easier then H1.

My problem is that I am on H1 and my spouse is on H4 currently, my company has applied for my GC which is stuck somewhere in BEC, now my spouse wanted to get her visa converted to J1 so that she can start working, what will be the best option for us. Once I get a GC will there be any problems if she is on J1 to get a GC for her as well?

Your help will be greatly appreciated.
 
i would not go through the J1 visa route ,J i waiver experience is bad in a lot of cases , try and get her H1 through through the residency program , believe me i am talking about the experience of lot of people going through the pains of J1 process, if her scores are good , its worth waiting for HI or EAD
 
J2 Visa

Hello - my husband and I are British and are in the US on J1/J2 Visa's - I am the J2 Visa and I have an open work permit. Although the whole J visa process involved a fair amount of paperwork it was relatively painless. On arriving in the US I just filled out the relevant forms and was granted a work permit for 2 years. If I can help let me know. Helen
 
I am sure ur wife would like to start a residency, its easy just make sure that she has done step 3 and get an H1B visa from the hospital.
Changing to J1 is like inviting trouble when there isnt any at this point
 
Getting a J1 is quite easy. And so is the EAD for the J2 spouse. It is what comes after it that is the problem.

Most physician J1s come with a 2 year home country return requirement. The return/waiver is not worth the convenience of a J1.

Spouse should get her own H1 or just wait for your GC. If residency is difficult on a H1, consider a research job on H1. Those are relatively easier to come by.
 
H1 always

My husband is a Physician too and we have gone thru this.
We waited(wasted) 2 years to get till my PD became current but it was worth the wait as we feel today .

Like many of the replies posted here I would suggest going for a H1 rather than the J1. J1 is easy to get but a big big headache due to
1)The paperwork involved
2)The 2 year home country return requirement which may disrupt your married life with kids etc .
3) Getting a waiver which usually means working in a rural area or inner city hospitals AFTER the completion of the residency program.ALso for the waiver depends what is her field. These days Internal Medicine, Family Practice etc are easy to get waivers but its difficult for surgery, Ob/Gyn, Radiology and so on .(If she can even get into these programs to begin with )
4) Your wife will still have to fulfill the 2 yr requirement if you process her GC and she picks up a J1 ANYTIME .

In the meanwhile, She can do some observership at the local hospitals and get to know the system / working etc. and get some experience ....to even look better on the resume when applying for residencies later that she was not sitting idle.

To get a H1 at this stage she has to do her USMLEs and the CSA .
And both H1 and J1 she can get only next year as the Interviews are done in Jan/Feb and programs start July 1st week.

Hope this helps. Good Luck ! :)
 
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