Practice Management

J-1 is normally viewed as an educational visa. It is not meant for hiring someone but rather a cultural exchange that is not meant to be long term. So your statement seems appropriate that you as a group could not get new hires of foreign physicians via such a visa..... H1B is the normal route, but those are restricted by number and it's a first come first served basis for those.....

Hit send too quick. The other practice that reportedly has been able to bring in physicians under a J1 could be that they are being offered an educational position like a fellowship. But they cannot be loing term personnel since a true J1 requires that the individual leave the country for a period of time before they can apply for another type of visa.....

Actually, I think a J1 can potentially stay if they work in a designated health professional shortage area:  https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/topics/j-1-visa-waiver

I've had radiologists working on visas in the past.  I can say that it was an expensive, lawyer intensive process, and that was before the current Administration.  I suspect it's much more challenging now.  I would worry about spending all that money and ending up with no radiologist.

It may be telling that if you google J1 visa Health Professional Shortage Area, you get a bunch of results from state governments, but no federal government result.

Good point David. I forgot about that.... J1s are normally used for academic centers to bring in fellows or for residents in some cases. If they go to a HPSA there is a process whereby they can transition from a J1 visa to another type over I think a 2 or 3 year process that will then allow them to stay in the US....

We are in the process of obtaining a J1 visa through a HPSA/MUA, the Delta Regional Authority (DRA).  If you fall within the DRA or the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) you can bypass the state limit of J1 Visa's offered and a visa can be applied for at anytime throughout the year not just during the state designated timeframe.  Christina Wade (cwade@dra.gov) at the DRA has been very helpful in answering our initial questions.   It is our first experience and has already been very labor intensive.  You're required to hire an immigration attorney and must implement a sliding fee schedule as part of the process as well as provide demographic reports to the DRA twice a year if granted a visa.  My understanding is the visa would be for an initial term of 3 years and there are repercussions for the candidate if they do not fulfill that commitment.  We've also been told if we as the employer and the physician as the candidate wish to enter into a continued work agreement, a National Interest Waiver (NIW) can be applied for granting them an additional 2 years in the HPSA/MUA and aid in the citizenship process.  Christina did mention they do not have many requests in the diagnostic and interventional radiology areas, but any specialty is considered if the qualifications are met.

https://dra.gov/

https://www.arc.gov/

Happy New Year!

Leslie Lochmann, M.B.A.

llochmann@caperadiology.com

Billing Systems Manager

Cape Radiology Group

#70 Doctors' Park

Cape Girardeau, MO 63703

Phone:  573/334-6071, x. 214

Fax:  573/334-4739