Elective in the US

Please note that the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) no longer provides J1 Visa for short-term residency rotations.

We were informed of the following changes from ECFMG this morning.

• In response to recent guidance provided by the U.S. Department of State(DoS), Canadian medical graduates and/or ECFMG certified international medical graduates who seek to participate in short-term residency rotations within ACGME-accredited residency or fellowship programs are not eligible for ECFMG J-1 sponsorship. Short-term clinical rotations fall outside of the parameters set forth for the J-1 “alien physician” category. Therefore, ECFMG cannot approve sponsorship for J-1 applicants seeking to participate in a portion of an accredited training program and/or for duration less than the accredited length of the training year/program.

• Please be advised that this directive does not impact ECFMG’s authorization to sponsor J-1 applicants for participation in advanced, non-standard fellowships. The duration of non-standard training programs may vary in length; however, the duration must be defined at the onset of training by the host institution’s Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC). Details on the non-standard sponsorship provision and requirements are available at http://www.ecfmg.org/evsp/nonstandard-index.htm.

Health Canada contacted the US Embassy and was informed that Canadian medical residents pursuing a short-term rotation in the US should cross the border with their Canadian passport and substantiating documents demonstrating the purpose of their travel in the US. Therefore, the letter of offer from the US university for the short-term rotation is necessary. These letters will usually indicate that no salary is provided for the rotator.

Given these new US requirements, Health Canada will only provide Statements of Need under Category A Short Term for advanced non-standard fellowships.

Also note that the Statement of Need website will be adjusted to reflect these changes.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at 613-952-1912or the US Embassy at 613-688-5335.

Regards,

Jacinthe Guindon

Senior Policy Analyst / Analyste principale des politiques

Health Human Resources Policy Division / Division en matière de ressources humaines en santé

Health Care Programs and Policy Directorate / Direction des programmes et des politiques de soins de santé

Strategic Policy Branch / Direction générale de la politique stratégique

4th floor, Jeanne Mance, 200 Églantine Dr. / 4e étage, Jeanne Mance, 200 prom. Églantine

Tunney's Pasture, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0K9 / Pré Tunney, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0K9

Tel/Cell: 613-218-9551

Statement of Need / J1 Visa Program, Health Human Resources Policy Division, Strategic Policy Branch, HEALTH CANADA, 200 Eglantine Driveway, Jeanne Mance Building, Address Locator 1904A, Tunney's Pasture, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9