j1 waiver process

[arssa2020]

Hello
my cousin is on j1-visa and he is physician in North Carolina, he is getting started on the j1 waiver process for GC, can you recommend any good attorneys for such process?

how much does the process cost? since he is in North Carolina, does he need an attorney in the area (Raleigh) or any attorney can anywhere in the states can help him out?

Regards

 

[hadron]

he is getting started on the j1 waiver process for GC, can you recommend any good attorneys for such process?

Look around here, various people have made recommendations for and against particular companies. Also, there was a lively discussion about various aspects of selecting a firm.

how much does the process cost?

Depends on how the attorney bills and how much of the footwork your cousin is willing to do himself. Many aspects of this can be done by himself e.g. obtaining a case# from the state department, obtaining the paperwork from the state health department, collecting the data on existing providers etc.

since he is in North Carolina, does he need an attorney in the area (Raleigh)

It is kind of nice to be able sit down face to face with your attorney, but for a waiver case that is probably not necessary.

or any attorney can anywhere in the states can help him out?

Certainly not any attorney, but any immigration attorney that does business immigration and is experienced with J1 waivers for physicians. Now, some state health departments are a bit difficult to deal with and it can be helpful to have a local attorney who knows how to massage them to get things done, but for the most part the health departments are just interested to get docs into their rural areas and will do whatever they can to help the process along and there is no downside to hiring an out of town attorney.

 

[happyneige]

Whatever you do, stay away from PRACTICE OPPORTUNITY or similar companies

Hello. I went through my waiver with a company called Practice Opportunity. It is a recruiting firm that also takes care of J-1 waiver paperwork. The concept sounds tempting for those who want hassle-free waiver process. The problem is, they ask for $25,000 for the whole thing. Money issues aside, the people I dealt with at Practice Opportunity were rude, condescending (occasionally insulting) and just non-flexible. (I could go on and on about my nightmarish experiences with them but that would take too much of your precious time.) I would NEVER recommend this to my worst enemy. Hadron is quite right about doing some of the stuff yourself. You can look up an underserved area under Conrad 30 at http://www.3rnet.org/docs/j1.asp. There's also a sticky in this forum about steps to go through J-1 waiver yourself. Having said all that, getting an attorney is helpful for some legal support. This should range from $5000 to $8000 for a simple waiver case. Kristi Crawford is my attorney and I have been very pleased with her service and professionalism. I heard Dayna Kelley is very good too. Hope this helps...

 

[arssa2020]

Hello happyneige,
can you pleae provide contact info for Kristi Crawford and Dayna Kelley ?
how much did you case cost? any estimate would be helpful

Thanks

 

[happyneige]

Kristi's number is (877) 355-9055. Her email is kcrawford@crawlaw.us. Dayna Kelly is based in North Carolina, which might work better for your cousin. Her number is (919) 969-7200. I don't know for sure how much these two are asking for a J-1 waiver case these days but my ball-park guess would be around $5000 to $8000. Hope this helps.