VISA PROGRAM FOR INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GRADUATES EXTENDED TO 2015

Visa waiver program for international medical graduates extended to 2015 A federal program that increases the physician workforce in underserved areas has been reauthorized for another three years under a bill signed just days before the program was set to expire.Legislation signed by President Obama Sept. 28 extends the Conrad 30 J-1 Visa Waiver Program through Sept. 30, 2015. Under this program, international medical graduates (IMG) who completed U.S. residency training on a J-1 visa may request to stay in the country if they agree to practice at least three years in a medically underserved community. Physicians and others granted a J-1 visa are required to return to their home country for at least two years before applying to live or work in the United States.Since the program began in 1994, it has allowed more than 9,000 physicians to care for patients in medically underserved areas, according to a recent article in American Medical News .A separate bill introduced in 2011 would permanently reauthorize the program and allow an expansion of the annual cap of J-1 visa waivers per state. The AMA continues to urge Congress to adopt this legislation, which closely reflects program reforms the organization has called for. The bill also would extend the program to physicians on H-1B visas.