Physician Visas

Resident/Fellow physicians are sponsored on J-1 visas through the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates.  Please access the ECFMG website at   for complete  visa requirements.

Review the 

Resident/Fellow physicians are sponsored on J-1 visas through the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates.  Please access the ECFMG website at   for complete  visa requirements.

 

Review the 

Types of J-1 Applications

  • : First time on J-1 clinical visa. 
  • : continuing in same training program at same institution. 
  •  : changing from J-1 鈥渞esearch scholar鈥 visa type to J-1 clinical visa category
  •  - please refer  to Non-Standard Training section  details on institution approval/process for offering non-standard.

J-1 Overview / Important Policies

  • The J-1 exchange visitor visa is a temporary,   visa reserved for educational training purposes for physicians. 
  •  The J-1 clinical visa is only available for physicians in training programs 
  • Other types of J-1s include J-1 research,  J-1 scholar (not processed by GME office).
  • The J-1 via has a two-year home residency requirement with seven years鈥 maximum progressive training length.   

        See site for full details

  • J-1 renewal is processed annually with each contract training year.
  • J-1s pay processing fees in ECFMG system.
  • There can be no gaps in training between contract/training dates for continuing J-1s.

 

Roles and Responsibilities

Role of Host Institution
  1. Assumes responsibility for providing the J-1 Physician for the GME training for which he/she is coming to the U.S.
  2. Cooperates with ECFMG to providing administrative oversight. 
Role of J-1 Alien Physician (and J-2 Dependents)
  1. Complies with all J-1 Alien Physician regulations including the following:
    • Reports new address within 10 days of move via ECFMG site 
    • Accepts obligations of J-1 sponsorship 鈥 obtaining health insurance, no moonlighting, reporting of serious incidents, Two-year home country physical presence, etc.
       

     鈥 refer to ECFMG for most up-to-date requirements 

      

 

J-1 Physician (and J-2 Dependents) Regulations 

J-1 Physician (and J-2 Dependents) must comply with all J-1 Alien Physician regulations including:

  1. No moonlighting or employment outside of approved training program - 

 To moonlight is to work a second job in addition to the approved program of training (primary job) reported on the DS-2019.  Refer to , strictly prohibits J-1 physicians from working outside of the approved training program. There are no exceptions to this policy.

  1. Health Insurance Requirement - 

 J-1 exchange visitors and accompanying J-2 dependents must secure comprehensive health insurance all times during the exchange visitor program. Additional details about the insurance requirements can be found at . Incoming Residents and Fellows will receive details regarding enrolling in 好色先生 offered health care benefits during on-boarding and orientation. 

  1. Serious Incident Reporting - 

Serious incidents impacting safety, health, or welfare of J-1 and J-2 dependents must be reported to ECFMG.  Refer to ECFMG document for examples of serious incident at  

     4. Leave of Absence Reporting - 

ECFMG requires J1s to report any Leave of Absence. This includes taking any paid Family Medical Leave. Additional information can be at the . 

DS-2019 must be signed in Travel Validation by Responsible Office box on the lower right side of DS-2019. Only ECFMG personnel can sign this field. Initial or first training year on J-1 visa will not be travel validated (endorsed/signed in lower left corner of DS-2019) for international travel.  If international travel is planed during first year, a Travel validated DS-209 will need to be requested.  For details, see  inquire  with TPL and refer to 

 

Instructions for J-2 Dependents

Instructions can be found using the link below. 

 

 

Statement of Need for J-1s

This document  is required for all J1 clinical visas  from the Ministry of Health of the country of most recent legal permanent residence. For full details, refer to site.

For additional details, please refer to :

 

H1-B for Physicians

GME residents and fellows are sponsored on H-1B visas only in rare cases with extenuating circumstances. H-1B visas offers require prior GME approval with justification from the training program director and applicant. H-1B visa allows for a maximum of six years of visa eligibility. 

Physician trainees are sponsored on H-1B visas only in rare cases with extenuating circumstances. H-1B visas offers require prior GME approval with justification from the training program director and applicant. H-1B visa allows for a maximum of six years of visa eligibility. 

For additional H-1B information,

Refer to .  

Non-Physician Visas

Non-U.S. citizens applying to non-physician 好色先生 GME training programs (listed below) must either have Permanent Resident Status, Employment Authorization Card, or be eligible to obtain one of the following employment visas; F-1 OPT, or H-1B.

Non-physician training program managed by 好色先生 GME include

  • Dentistry
  • Hospital Administration
  • Medical Physics
  • Medical Physics
  • Optometry 
  • Pharmacy 

Non-physician GME residents and fellows are not eligible for the J-1 visa program, which is only for available to physicians in training.  

Non-physician training programs should discuss visa options during interview, and inquire with GME Registrar for confirmation.   H-1B visas require justification from the applicant and program director, with both the candidate and the program responsible for associated individual and institutional fees. 

 for Non Physicians

Optional practical allows eligible students to get real-world work  experience related to their field of study. Designated School Official (DSO) recommends OPT in SEVIS,  and the student must apply for the work permit with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). If approved, USCIS will issue an Employment Authorization Document (EAD).

H-1B for Non Physicians 

GME residents and fellows are sponsored on H-1B visas only in rare cases with extenuating circumstances. H-1B visas offers require prior GME approval with justification from the training program director and applicant. H-1B visas allow for a maximum of six years of visa eligibility. For additional H-1B information, please refer to .

Additional Questions?

Melynda Burke Allan

好色先生 GME Registrar & Training Program Liaison (TPL) 

Email:   melynda.burke@uky.edu

Phone:  859-323-5003  

GME Office 

Email: GMEadmin@uky.edu 

Phone: 859-323-2636

Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 5:00pm

THE TRAINING PROGRAM LIAISON (TPL) 

The TPL is the institution's ECFMG representative. The TPL assists in the communications between the GME training programs, the physician on the J-1 visa, and ECFMG.


**Information on this page is informational and subject to change based upon visa policy changes.  

Please refer to and for most up- to-date visa rules and regulations.