There is a green card option available for a foreign national physician without obtaining a green card sponsor and PERM (labor certification). First off, ask yourself whether you are one of the following:
- Are you are a foreign national physician who will be providing medical service in an underserved area as designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services? -OR-
- Are you are a foreign national physician who will be providing medical service in a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facility?
If you answered yes the question above, then you met the basic eligibility to apply for a green card via a physician National Interest Waiver (NIW).
Eligibility Criteria
- Full-time work in a clinical practice for five years
- Work in a primary care or as a specialty physician
- Serve in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), Mental Health Professional Area (MHPSA), Medically Underserved Area (MUA), Veterans Affair facility, or Physician Scarcity Area (PSA)
Brief Overview of Application Process
- You may file an I-140, an immigrant visa petition, and I-485, an application to adjust status, concurrently or separately, depending on the availability of an immigrant visa number.
- You must also obtain a J-1 waiver and show a proof of your oral and written English competency.
- You must obtain an attestation letter from a federal agency or state department of health that has knowledge of your qualifications as a physician and that states your work is in the public interest.
- If an immigrant visa number is available, a green card will be issued after the competition of your five year service. Please note that a service under J-1 Visa does not count toward the five year service requirement.
Contact us for a free evaluation of your eligibility.
