Medical doctors may apply for the Physicians J-1 Waiver in Underserved Areas.  A foreign medical graduate who has been offered full-time employment in a health care facility in an area that there is a shortage of professional health care, agrees to begin working within 90 days of receiving the waiver, and signs a contract to work at the facility for a total of 40 hours per week, for no less than three years is eligible to apply for this waiver.  It is possible for physicians to obtain this type of waiver through an Independent Government Agency or a State health agency. 

The procedure for an Independent Government Agency sponsoring you is discussed below. For the procedure for a State Health Agency sponsorship, please click here:

Step 1

Foreign Exchange Visitor must submit the following:

1. Completed Form DS- 3035 J-1 Visa Waiver Recommendation Application,
2. All DS-2019/IAP-66 forms,
3. Curriculum vitae,
4. The following statement should be signed and dated by the physician: "I,(name of exchange visitor) hereby declare and certify, under penalty of the provisions of 18USC.1101, that: (1) I have sought or obtained the cooperation of (enter name of U.S. Government agency which will submit/is submitting an IGA request on behalf of the exchange visitor to obtain a waiver of the two-year home residence requirement); and (2) I do not now have pending nor will I submit another request to any U.S. Government department or agency or its equivalent, to act on my behalf in any matter relating to a waiver of my two-year home residence requirement."
5. Form G28 or a letter from the law office of an attorney is representing the applicant,
6. Two self-addressed, stamped, legal-size envelopes (SASE) and a nonrefundable-processing fee of US $215 per application in the form of a cashier's check or money order payable to the U.S. State Department.

The Independent Government Agency that is sponsoring the physician must submit the following:

1. Letter from the head of the agency indicating why granting a wavier to the applicant is in the public interest
2. A contract signed between the physician and health care facility for no less than 40 hours per week and no less than three years
3. Evidence that facility is in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) or a Medically Underserved Area (MUA)
4. A “no objection” statement from the Exchange Visitor’s home country, if government funding is involved
5. Statement signed by the head of the facility that will employ the medical doctor, stating that it is located in a designated HPSA or MUA area, provides medical care to Medicaid, Medicare, and indigent uninsured patients. Also, the Federal Information Processing Standards county code and census tract or block numbering area number (assigned by the Bureau of Census) or the 9-digit zip code of the area where the facility is located should be included.
6. Evidence of unsuccessful recruitment efforts of American physicians (i.e. advertisements)

To have the waiver application processed faster, the IGA may submit both the applicants and its documents together. All information should be submitted to:

 (Courier Service)

US Department of State
Waiver Review Division
Box 952137
1005 Convention Plaza
St. Louis, MO 63101-1200

(Regular Service)

US Department of State
Waiver Review Division
P. O. Box 952137
St. Louis, MO 63195-2137

STEP 2)
Once the Waiver Review Division has received the applicant's J-1 Visa Waiver Recommendation Application, additional instructions will be sent along with the applicant's assigned case number. The instructions will include a list of outstanding documents that must be submitted in order to complete the application. After the applicant has received the applicant's assigned case number, the applicant must write the case number on all submitted documentation as well as on the outside envelopes of all future correspondence. If the applicant does not comply with these instructions, the submitted documents will be returned back to the applicant.

STEP 3
Applicant should submit all requested documents to the State Department. Documents such as the "No Objection" statement must be submitted directly to the Waiver Review Division by the Home Country's Embassy. The applicant should request that the Embassy write the case number on the "No Objection" statement as well as on the outside of the envelope.

It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the file is complete. You can check the application's status by calling (202) 663-1600. Applicant must know the case number in order to obtain the case status.

STEP 4
Once it has reviewed the complete file, the Waiver Review Division will forward its recommendation directly to the USCIS. The applicant will receive a copy of the recommendation at the address provided on the applicant's J-1 Visa Waiver Recommendation Application. If the application is denied, however, he or she will be directly notified by the USCIS.

For more information about J-1 visa, please refer to the following links:
Description
Work for Non-Sponsor Employer
Duration
Extension
Benefits
Limitations
Procedure to Get a J-1 Visa
J-1 Waiver
No Objection Waiver
Independent Government Agency Waiver
Independent Government Agency Waiver for Physicians
IGA Listing
Exceptional Hardship Waiver
Fear of Persecution Waiver
State Health Agency Waiver (For Physicians only)
State Health Agency Listing
Green Card
Services that We Provide
Frequently Asked Questions about J-1/J-2 Visa
Frequently Asked Questions about J-1 two-year rule
Frequently Asked Questions about J-1 Waiver
Attorney's Fees
Articles & News on J-1