DO student eligibility residency

[premedman12345]

Are DO students considered for first iteration now (on the same level as those graduating from Canadian school)? What about for family medicine applicants? I just read an article that DOs have full access in Canada for licensing now.

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[s5260205]

Full access but still categorised as IMG in all provinces. Applying to CaRMS in anything outside of FM is still unadvised, especially considering the job prospect in most specialties in metropolitan area in Canada.

 

[premedman12345]

Full access but still categorised as IMG in all provinces. Applying to CaRMS in anything outside of FM is still unadvised, especially considering the job prospect in most specialties in metropolitan area in Canada.

Is it hard to match FM as a DO?

 

[s5260205]

Is it hard to match FM as a DO?

IMG matching anything in Canada is extremely difficult due to the two stream systems. As a DO student, you will also have to do audition rotations in both Canada and US for reference letters. I don't see any justification for the extra money and effort for matching FM in the middle of nowhere in Canada, when you have a decent shot of applying FM at a very desirable location in US (unless of course you MUST go back to Canada after graduation).

 

[Portcullis]

As a Canadian, I know that for residencies in the US you can either apply with a J1 visa (many more residency options but requires a statement of need and a return requirement of one year) or an H1B visa (less options, but dual intent with no return period). I know that most people advocate trying for the H1B visa and consider it to be a blessing. However, I also know that A) these programs are usually very competitive, and B) they have to prove that no U.S. citizen was able to fill their position, so while being competitive, they may not be in the most desirable locations (please correct me if I am wrong, I've learnt much of what I know from premed101, SDN, and reddit).

Furthermore, the dual intent of the H1B visa allows one to apply for a green card and be able to eventually practice in the US. However, I have heard that this depends on your country of birth, not citizenship. While I am a Canadian citizen, I was born in India, for which I have heard the wait times for a green card are 10-12 years. Since that the H1B visa expires after 6 years, is there really any point for me to ever consider an H1B visa since I will not be able to obtain a green card in that period anyway? Or will my application for the green card continue even after my H1B expires and I have to move back to Canada? Can I reapply after the one year return period and will it continue towards my application to allow me to eventually practice in the US? It would seem that if I can't secure an eventual green card to practice in the US without restrictions in the future, wouldn't it be better to have a shot at more residencies and specialities (since almost all sponsor J1s)? In such a case, would I still be limited to Family Medicine, since speciality training obtained in the US is not the same length as in Canada? I hear the Canadian board doesn't even let many grads SIT for their exams at times. Would I be stuck with specialization training that I cannot practice with in Canada, or would doing a fellowship in the US compensate for it?

Sorry for the barrage of questions, I have not been able to obtain clear answers for these questions and I really want to know if going to the US for med school is still limiting me to Family Medicine because visa issues. Since US DOs are considered iMGs in the Canadian Match, what are the chances of going into any program that isn't FM or IM there? I still wouldn't enjoy the idea of studying for three sets of residency exams.

 

[s5260205]

As a Canadian, I know that for residencies in the US you can either apply with a J1 visa (many more residency options but requires a statement of need and a return requirement of one year) or an H1B visa (less options, but dual intent with no return period). I know that most people advocate trying for the H1B visa and consider it to be a blessing. However, I also know that A) these programs are usually very competitive, and B) they have to prove that no U.S. citizen was able to fill their position, so while being competitive, they may not be in the most desirable locations (please correct me if I am wrong, I've learnt much of what I know from premed101, SDN, and reddit).

Furthermore, the dual intent of the H1B visa allows one to apply for a green card and be able to eventually practice in the US. However, I have heard that this depends on your country of birth, not citizenship. While I am a Canadian citizen, I was born in India, for which I have heard the wait times for a green card are 10-12 years. Since that the H1B visa expires after 6 years, is there really any point for me to ever consider an H1B visa since I will not be able to obtain a green card in that period anyway? Or will my application for the green card continue even after my H1B expires and I have to move back to Canada? Can I reapply after the one year return period and will it continue towards my application to allow me to eventually practice in the US? It would seem that if I can't secure an eventual green card to practice in the US without restrictions in the future, wouldn't it be better to have a shot at more residencies and specialities (since almost all sponsor J1s)? In such a case, would I still be limited to Family Medicine, since speciality training obtained in the US is not the same length as in Canada? I hear the Canadian board doesn't even let many grads SIT for their exams at times. Would I be stuck with specialization training that I cannot practice with in Canada, or would doing a fellowship in the US compensate for it?

Sorry for the barrage of questions, I have not been able to obtain clear answers for these questions and I really want to know if going to the US for med school is still limiting me to Family Medicine because visa issues. Since US DOs are considered iMGs in the Canadian Match, what are the chances of going into any program that isn't FM or IM there? I still wouldn't enjoy the idea of studying for three sets of residency exams.

Here is a link with great information on visa (explore the website for answers to most your questions)

US RESIDENCY | comsa-do

www.studentdo.ca

In short, either J1 and H1 would allow you to stay in US.
- With H1, you can get sponsored for employment based green card after all your training is completed. Yes, employmenet based green card processing time is based on the country of origin (India for you) which can be notoriusly long. However, you will be on H1 extension until your green card application is processed, enabling you to stay in US and practicing medicine with no issue.
- With J1, 2-year home requirement --> get J1 waiver, i.e., working in underserved areas for 2 years --> then get H1 visa (repeat process above).

And DO students regularly match specialties other than FM/IM. The only limiting factor would be your own application. Yes, being a DO student AND needing visa do affect your chance at a competitive residency program, but they should not limit you to only IM and FM.

With regards to going back to Canada after residency/fellowship, it will certainly be a long process with many hoops to jump through. However, as long as you meet all the criteria (e.g., same length of training, neurology only 4 years in US but 5 years in Canada, overcome this by doing a 1-year fellowship), you should be fine.

 

[Portcullis]

In short, either J1 and H1 would allow you to stay in US.
- With H1, you can get sponsored for employment based green card after all your training is completed. Yes, employmenet based green card processing time is based on the country of origin (India for you) which can be notoriusly long. However, you will be on H1 extension until your green card application is processed, enabling you to stay in US and practicing medicine with no issue.
- With J1, 2-year home requirement --> get J1 waiver, i.e., working in underserved areas for 2 years --> then get H1 visa (repeat process above).

And DO students regularly match specialties other than FM/IM. The only limiting factor would be your own application. Yes, being a DO student AND needing visa do affect your chance at a competitive residency program, but they should not limit you to only IM and FM.

With regards to going back to Canada after residency/fellowship, it will certainly be a long process with many hoops to jump through. However, as long as you meet all the criteria (e.g., same length of training, neurology only 4 years in US but 5 years in Canada, overcome this by doing a 1-year fellowship), you should be fine.

Thank you so much, that really helps clarify things!