Under Public Law 111-9, international medical graduates now have until September 30, 2009, to be granted J-1 status to qualify under the J-1 "Conrad 30" program. The extended deadline allows an additional six-month period for candidates to initially enter the United States in J-1 status or to receive a change of status to J-1 to meet qualifications for the Conrad 30 program.
Under the Conrad 30 program, state health departments may submit a request directly to the Department of State (DOS) to initiate the waiver process for a J-1 medical doctor. If approved by the DOS, the waiver process will enable a J-1 medical doctor to forgo the two-year foreign residency requirement typically required at the end of the J-1 program. By foregoing the waiver requirement, the J-1 medical doctor is then required to practice medicine for at least three years in a medically underserved shortage area (as identified and designated by the DOS).
For more information regarding the two-year foreign residency requirement and the waiver process, please visit the travel page on DOS’s Web site.
