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J1
Each year, thousands of international medical graduates receive J1 healthcare Visas allowing them to enter the United States and attend residency and fellowship programs for advanced medical training. Once they have completed that training, all of those physicians are required to return to their home countries to fulfill the two-year home residency requirement as a requirement of their J1 Visa status. However, a waiver of that two-year home residency requirement can be obtained for physicians who have a qualified sponsoring employer and an interested government agency. Once a waiver is obtained, the physician is eligible to apply for a Visa status change that will allow them to remain and practice in the United States. The stipulation most important to physician recruitment in rural area includes the requirement to work for three years in an underserved area. The complete law text is available at http://www.murthy.com/arc_uds/UDj1docs.html

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