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One of the most common activities in which foreign national physicians engage while in the U.S. is graduate medical education (GME). Graduate medical education is commonly referred to as 'residency' or as a 'fellowship' to referr to more advanced specialized levels of medical training. This is a didactic activity in a medical specialty following completion of a recognized undergraduate medical school. Such training is required in preparation for independent medical practice.
International Medical Graduates are required to:
- Complete ECFMG certification by meeting examination and credentialing requirements
- Apply for US Residency
Training
Position through an Electronic Residency Application System (ERAS), administered by AAMC, interview with teaching
hospital
programs, and enroll in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP)
- Secure a contract / letter of offer
- Seek appropriate US training visa / status. The University of Texas Medical School at Houston recognizes the J-1 exchange visitor visa as the appropriate mechanism to cover foreign medical graduates interested in the exchange of medical knowledge and skills in education. The UTMSH does not sponsor H-1B visas for purposes of medical training and therefore it is not an acceptable visa option for UTHSC-H residents and fellows in its graduate medical education training programs. The J-1 exchange visitor visa must be obtained through sponsorship from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). Application for J-1 visa sponsorship form ECFMG requires a coordinated effort of the International Medical Graduate applicant (IMG), ECFMG Regional Advisor, and Training Program Liaison (TPL) from The UTHSC-H Office of International Affairs, and the Training Program Coordinator from the teaching hospital /school.
Procedures to apply for J-1 visa sponsorship from ECFMG for Clinical Training at The UTHSC-H
Visa process flowchart for INITIAL J-1 visa sponsorship from ECFMG
Visa process flowchart for CONTINUATION of J-1 visa sponsorship from ECFMG
Requests for processing a J-1 visa for clinical appointments at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHSC-H) and at Texas Heart Institute (THI) must be approved by the Dean of the Medical School and the THI appropriate administrative department. Specific processing instructions and forms must be completed according to the type of application (initial J-1 status vs. continuation of J-1 status), the type of training program ( ACGME-Accredited vs. non-accredited or Standard vs. non-standard), as well as the level of specialization in the training field.
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