Foreign Medical Professionals Facing Visa Issues

[Suze1 366]

Given all the disruption and loss resulting from covid, it would seem that we would welcome all the medical professional help we could get, including from qualified medical professionals overseas, and already here.

But it seems that many are experiences delays and obstacles to entering the country, or relocation from a less hard hit area to a more hard hit area.

 

This article describes some of the experiences out there:

Foreign Doctors Could Help Fight Coronavirus. But U.S. Blocks Many.

Nurses and doctors are ensnared by red tape and visa rules that prevent them from working in U.S. hospitals, where they are needed to respond to the coronavirus.

• Published April 13, 2020   Updated May 12, 2020

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/13/us/coronavirus-foreign-doctors-nurses-visas.html

 

It this what people are also seeing here on the ground?

 

[databit 328]

"Qualified" is a relative term. Many doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers cannot pass US qualifying exams or their schooling does not meet US standards. 

[Suze1 366]

Have a couple of residences next door to a major hospital in NYC.

Currently the head of the ER (a cardiologist from Italy) is in one of the apartments, but will be transitioning out shortly (to one of the Ivy League medical schools).

Potential incoming physicians are going through a lot visa-wise.

Having studied and taught at Harvard/MIT, as do several of my classmates, understand firsthand various issues of technical and professional competence.

Edited May 22, 2020 by Suze1

[Boiler 45,520]

From a moralistic point of view persuading such specialists to move countries during these troubling times abandoning their own Citizens seems troubling.

 

And in the US medical practitioners in non COVID areas are being furloughed, we live in crazy times.

[os306 103]

On 5/21/2020 at 5:22 PM, Suze1 said:

Given all the disruption and loss resulting from covid, it would seem that we would welcome all the medical professional help we could get, including from qualified medical professionals overseas, and already here.

But it seems that many are experiences delays and obstacles to entering the country, or relocation from a less hard hit area to a more hard hit area.

 

This article describes some of the experiences out there:

Foreign Doctors Could Help Fight Coronavirus. But U.S. Blocks Many.

Nurses and doctors are ensnared by red tape and visa rules that prevent them from working in U.S. hospitals, where they are needed to respond to the coronavirus.

• Published April 13, 2020   Updated May 12, 2020

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/13/us/coronavirus-foreign-doctors-nurses-visas.html

 

It this what people are also seeing here on the ground?

 

Hi,

 

This is a bit of a complicated issue and relates to state licensure for physicians. Normally, in order to obtain a full medical license in any state you need to have completed all 3 steps of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), obtain certification from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), and be enrolled in an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) approved residency program. From experience, this is a lengthy and drawn-out process. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, some states like New Jersey have introduced a route for physicians licensed in countries other than the US to become licensed in NJ on a temporary, emergency basis (i.e. as long as the pandemic continues). However, depending on which state you're looking at, these temporary licenses come with certain stipulations (e.g. for NJ you have to already be residing in the United States legally and hold an active foreign medical license). So I suspect a lot of foreign doctors requiring visa sponsorship are ineligible based on these requirements.

[Suze1 366]

Hi @os306. Thanks for your remarks.

The article talks about doctors who are already here in the US having trouble moving from state to state, because of visa restrictions.

The difficulties are not limited to people who are overseas. Some, right here, can't help out because of visa restrictions, so says the article.

I have a friend who wants to move from NYC to Philly (and leads the ER at a major hospital in NYC, is already in NYC, etc.) and visa restrictions are delaying the move. Nothing to do with professional "qualifications". All to do with visa restrictions.

Headed to an Ivy League medical school-related hospital (not as a student, as a practicing physician), is clearly qualified, took and passed all necessary exams while IN the US...etc., etc.

 

Edited May 27, 2020 by Suze1

[os306 103]

34 minutes ago, Suze1 said:

Hi @os306. Thanks for your remarks.

The article talks about doctors who are already here in the US having trouble moving from state to state, because of visa restrictions.

The difficulties are not limited to people who are overseas. Some, right here, can't help out because of visa restrictions, so says the article.

I have a friend who wants to move from NYC to Philly (and leads the ER at a major hospital in NYC, is already in NYC, etc.) and visa restrictions are delaying the move. Nothing to do with professional "qualifications". All to do with visa restrictions.

Headed to an Ivy League medical school-related hospital (not as a student, as a practicing physician), is clearly qualified, took and passed all necessary exams while IN the US...etc., etc.

 

Yup, it looks like one of the issues that foreign physicians already within the US (either practicing or in residency) are facing when it comes to moving to other institutions to help with the COVID effort are related to restrictions imposed on H-1B visas. Physicians on H-1B visas are only authorized by USCIS to work for the institution/hospital that sponsored the visa itself. A similar rule applies to J-1 physician visa holders who are currently in residency, so it makes it tricky to just pick up and move to a different hospital to help. Although a J-1 visa holder can transfer to a different host program, I can't see this happening for the purposes of COVID relief for a few months. Overall, while the policies that have been introduced to make it possible for foreign physicians to contribute to the COVID effort sound good in principal, it looks like little thought has gone into the the actual process of implementing this.

Edited May 27, 2020 by os306

[Suze1 366]

5 hours ago, os306 said:

while the policies that have been introduced to make it possible for foreign physicians to contribute to the COVID effort sound good in principal, it looks like little thought has gone into the the actual process of implementing this.

Indeed!

People don't realize that immigration restrictions are not just blocking people from COMING INTO the country - They are also blocking people from relocating from state to state and employer to employer.

It's in the article, but I have doubts if people actually read the article, and not just react to the headline. Anyway....

 

You did/doing DCF!

We did DCF, too.  Was sweet. Visa in a few weeks - Married in Oct. Applied in Nov. Immigrated in Dec. Now a citizen.

Edited May 27, 2020 by Suze1

[os306 103]

1 hour ago, Suze1 said:

Indeed!

People don't realize that immigration restrictions are not just blocking people from COMING INTO the country - They are also blocking people from relocating from state to state and employer to employer.

It's in the article, but I have doubts if people actually read the article, and not just react to the headline. Anyway....

 

You did/doing DCF!

We did DCF, too.  Was sweet. Visa in a few weeks - Married in Oct. Applied in Nov. Immigrated in Dec. Now a citizen.

 

Wow your process was lighting fast. Yes, we are currently going through DCF in London. We were able to file our petitions just before the deadline at the end of March (the London Field Office is no longer accepting I-130s and the office itself it set to close at the end of July). Unfortunately, there has been little progress because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but fingers crossed things start moving soon.

[Suze1 366]

@os306

Yes, we DCF'ed in Manila, in 2016. They no longer do DCF's now, sadly.

Both of us had residences in Makati for 7+ years. Three blocks from each other. Met at KFC in between. Together since that day.

 

Naturalized at the next-to-last ceremony in Tampa, in March. They moved the next one up to a few days after ours, and they have not had one since.  So, we just made it. Covid!!!

Filed for the passport a few days later, on March 10, but did not request expedited service. Others who did, got theirs. We are STILL waiting. Covid!

We were ALMOST done with it all, too. Covid!!!

 

We were headed to Harvard in March for a major affair (spouse's alma mater), and got an email three days before the affair saying that it was canceled because the Harvard President and wife both had covid!

We missed being with them by 3 days! Covid!!!

 

Now, have to go to NYC in a few weeks - the doctor I keep mentioning is leaving one of our places there, to relocate to Philly, and another doctor is rotating in, from overseas. Each of their schedules is delayed! COVID!!!

Freaking COVID!!!

 

Not to mention, several close friends in and around NY have died...and you know the reason....yeah....COVID! Sigh.

 

Edited May 28, 2020 by Suze1

[Boiler 45,520]

If they are in the US and helping then I am not sure there is much of an issue.

[Suze1 366]

Not every place has the same level of need...and not every medical need or contribution is the same...etc.

But from your previous responses, might you not really have other issues here?

Edited May 28, 2020 by Suze1

[Boiler 45,520]

30 minutes ago, Suze1 said:

Not every place has the same level of need...and not every medical need or contribution is the same...etc.

But from your previous responses, might you not really have other issues here?

You do not move senior medical personnel from job to job to meet a transient medical need, even those who have no visa issues. 

[Suze1 366]

Physician colleague/friend got all documents and permissions approved. This is their last week in NYC. Relocates to a new position in Philly next week.

(Also told by local NYC manager that NYC is shifting to Phase 2 on Monday.)

Will travel to NYC next week as well.

Edited June 19, 2020 by Suze1

[os306 103]

On 5/28/2020 at 4:04 AM, Boiler said:

You do not move senior medical personnel from job to job to meet a transient medical need, even those who have no visa issues. 

Not necessarily true. Particularly at the beginning of the pandemic, some physicians in specialities where the elective workload effectively ground to a halt due to COVID were able to contribute to the COVID effort by temporarily redeploying to hospitals in heavy-hit cities like New York. Obviously this is far trickier if you're on a visa; but as a USC/GC-holder the only hurdles would be obtaining 1) permission from your hospital/institution of employment 2) an emergency temporary state license.