J1 Waiver Process

This is the general guideline of how an FMG can obtain a J-1 waiver by agreeing to practice medicine in a federally designated underserved area.

In order to secure a waiver, you must first obtain a job offer for a three year contract to work at a medical facility in an underserved area. Then you must secure sponsorship for the waiver from one of several US government programs.

Currently, each State has a waiver program called the Conrad 30 program. Federal law allows each State to sponsor 30 FMGs for waivers.  Each State is allowed to regulate the State application procedure and what types of physicians it will sponsor.

In addition to individual State waiver programs, there are four federal programs which also provide sponsorship: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) and The Veterans Administration (VA).

After an offer of employment is secured, the physician must petition one of the State or Federal programs for waiver sponsorship.  Once sponsorship is granted, the physician must secure final waiver approval from the US Department of State (DOS) and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Once the waiver is approved, the physician must work for the health care facility for the 3-year waiver term on an H-1B visa.  Failure to complete the 3-year work term can result in the loss of your waiver, status and future immigration benefits.

We recommend hiring an experienced immigration attorney to complete the waiver process.