| From the ECFMG website
ECFMG® Certification and J-1 Visa Sponsorship: An Overview
(posted October 30, 2001)
ECFMG has received a number of inquiries in recent weeks regarding the
requirements for ECFMG Certification. Inquiries have also focussed on ECFMG
sponsorship requirements for the J-1 visa, the most common visa used to
participate in U.S. programs of graduate medical education. The purpose of
this document is to provide a brief overview of these programs, their
requirements, ECFMG's role in these processes, and sources of additional
information.
Requirements for ECFMG Certification
Through its program of certification, ECFMG assesses the readiness of
international medical graduates to enter U.S. residency or fellowship
programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical
Education (ACGME). (An international medical graduate is defined as a
physician who received his / her basic medical degree or qualification from a
medical school located outside of the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.)
The certification program is consistent with ECFMG's overarching mission of
promoting excellence in international medical education. Although ECFMG
administers a variety of programs for members of the international medical
education community, the certification of international medical graduates is
the organization's core function, one that it has performed since its
establishment more than forty years ago.
ECFMG certification assures residency program directors and the American
public that graduates of medical schools with varying standards and curricula
meet minimum standards for entering U.S. programs of graduate medical
education. ECFMG certification also allows international medical graduates to
access training that has the potential to benefit the home country health
system and population. International medical graduates who wish to
participate in U.S. graduate medical education programs must be certified by
ECFMG. ECFMG certification is also required by most states to obtain a U.S.
medical license.
The requirements for ECFMG certification include a series of examinations and
direct verification of medical education credentials. Applicants for ECFMG
certification must pass the following exams:
Step 1 and Step 2 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination™
(USMLE™);
Test of English as a Foreign Language™ (TOEFL®); and the
ECFMG Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA®).
Exam applications for Step 1, Step 2 and CSA must be certified by the
applicant and an official of the applicant's medical school. Applicants who
have graduated from medical school may also have their applications certified
by a consular official, first class magistrate or notary public. In both
cases the official certifies that he/she has compared the applicant's
signature and photograph on the application with those of the applicant's
identification. To be admitted to the test center to take Step 1 or Step 2,
applicants must present valid, government-issued identification that contains
their name, signature and photograph. CSA applicants must also present valid,
picture identification upon arrival at the CSA test center.
Throughout the certification process, applicants are required to provide
identifying information, such as name and date of birth, completely and
consistently. Applicants must resolve discrepancies in such information by
providing documentation, such as copies of passports or birth certificates.
ECFMG also requires each applicant to submit a copy of his / her final
medical diploma and current photographs. For each applicant, ECFMG sends the
medical diploma with the applicant's photograph to officials of the medical
school that issued the document to verify the authenticity of the document.
ECFMG must receive this verification directly from the applicant's medical
school.
ECFMG issues the Standard ECFMG Certificate to applicants who satisfy all
requirements.
Additional Requirements for J-1 Visa Sponsorship
The J-1 visa is the most commonly used non-immigrant visa in U.S. clinical
training programs. ECFMG is authorized by the U.S. Department of State to
sponsor physicians on the J-1 visa to participate in accredited U.S. programs
of graduate medical education or training. ECFMG sponsors all J-1 physicians
in clinical training programs in the U.S.
To be eligible for ECFMG sponsorship, an applicant must
Have passed USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 (or other exams acceptable for visa
purposes);
Hold a valid Standard ECFMG Certificate (US or Canadian medical school
graduates are exempt from this requirement);
Hold a contract or an official letter of offer for a position in an
accredited program of graduate medical education or training; and
Provide a statement of need from the Ministry of Health of the country of
nationality or last legal permanent residence. This statement must provide
written assurance that the country needs specialists in the area in which the
physician will receive training. It also serves to confirm the physician's
commitment to return to that country upon completion of training in the
United States.
In its role as J-1 visa sponsor, ECFMG evaluates each applicant's eligibility
for sponsorship, according to the preceding criteria. For eligible
applicants, ECFMG issues Form IAP-66, Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange
Visitor (J-1) Status. Form IAP-66 indicates that the physician is eligible to
apply for the J-1 visa.
Individuals generally apply to the U.S. Department of State for the J-1 visa
through U.S. embassies and consulates abroad. The Form IAP-66, issued by
ECFMG, is only one of the elements considered by consular officials in
determining an applicant's eligibility to enter the United States. All
requirements, including the applicant's ability to prove non-immigrant
intent, are evaluated by consular officials, who have broad discretion in
determining whether to issue the visa. After the visa has been issued, the
U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) is responsible for
reviewing required documentation at ports-of-entry into the U.S.
ECFMG tracks the status of J-1 physicians after entry to a U.S. training
program. These physicians are required to renew their sponsorship with ECFMG
annually. ECFMG communicates all sponsorship information to the U.S.
Department of State. Throughout sponsorship, ECFMG serves as a resource to
both the J-1 physician and the training program.
H-1B Visa
A physician may also use the H-1B visa to participate in U.S. clinical
training programs. International medical graduates who apply for the H-1B
visa must be certified by ECFMG. (Physicians who hold a full and unrestricted
U.S. medical license are exempt from this requirement.) However, it is the
graduate medical education program that petitions the U.S. Immigration and
Naturalization Service on behalf of the physician. ECFMG is not involved in
the H-1B visa application process.
Additional Information
The ECFMG Information Booklet is the definitive source of information on
ECFMG Certification. Detailed information on ECFMG J-1 visa sponsorship is
available in the Information Booklet and in the ECFMG Exchange Visitor
Sponsorship Program Reference Guide. The Information Booklet, Reference Guide
and application materials for ECFMG Certification and J-1 visa sponsorship
are available on the ECFMG website at www.ecfmg.org and from ECFMG upon
request.
For detailed J-1 sponsorship information see:
ECFMG's website at www.ecfmg.org
U.S. Department of State website at www.state.gov
Immigration and Naturalization Service website at www.ins.gov
EDUCATIONAL COMMISSION for FOREIGN MEDICAL GRADUATES
3624 MARKET STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA 19104-2685, U.S.A.
TELEPHONE: 215-386-5900 z FAX: 215-387-9963 z INTERNET: www.ecfmg.org
October 18, 2002
Stanley Colvin, JD
Director
Office of Exchange Coordination and Designation
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
US Department of State
301 Fourth Street, SW, Room 852
Washington, DC 20547
Dear Stanley:
I am pleased to present to you a Summary outlining the results of meetings
and discussions on two issues pertinent to the Exchange Visitor Sponsorship
Program (EVSP) administered by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical
Graduates (ECFMG). The purpose of EVSP, as set forth in applicable
regulations, is to facilitate “exchange of foreign medical graduates seeking
to pursue graduate medical education or training at accredited schools of
medicine or scientific institutions”. The graduate medical education
community has traditionally endorsed the ECFMG-sponsored J-1 visa as the most
appropriate visa option for international medical graduates pursuing post-
graduate training in the United States.
At your suggestion, ECFMG initiated these discussions with interested medical
organizations. You, along with representatives of the Accreditation Council
for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the American Board of Medical
Specialties, the American Hospital Association, the American Medical
Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Council of
Medical Specialty Societies, and academic medical centers, participated in
the process. The resulting discussions were open, robust, and fully
supportive of the intent of the J-1 visa and the EVSP.
The two issues that were reviewed involved sponsorship of J-1 physicians in
clinical programs that were directly associated with ACGME programs, but not
independently accredited by ACGME, and sponsorship of J-1 physicians in
clinical programs whose length exceeded that of the accredited length
published in the AMA: Graduate Medical Education Directory. The Summary
addresses both of these issues. The conclusions, as set forth in the
Summary, are as follows:
It was agreed that, effective July 1, 2003, there would be three pathways for
ECFMG J-1 sponsorship:
1) A program accredited by the ACGME
2) Programs within a specialty or subspecialty where the appropriate Specialty
Board of ABMS offers a Certificate
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