The People Supporting J-1 Physicians

This is the first blog in our series highlighting the important work of J-1 program coordinators and those involved with the process throughout the country

This is the first blog in our series highlighting the important work of J-1 program coordinators and those involved with the process throughout the country. In this post, we catch up with longtime 3RNET supporter Matthew Webster. Matthew is an immigration attorney at Fredrikson & Byron, P.A., a Minneapolis-based law firm, where he is part of their immigration group which supports 3RNET, and more specifically, the J-1 Coordinators across the county who manage the J-1 programs at the State level. 

Foreign-born physicians with J-1 Visa status are required to return to their home country for two years after their completion of residency in the States. The J-1 Visa Waiver, most commonly associated with the Conrad 30 Program, allows them to waive this requirement in return for three years of service in rural or underserved communities. For more information on the specifics of the J-1 Visa Waiver process, visit our webpage dedicated to J-1 resources. 

Immigration attorney Matthew Webster’s biggest piece of advice for physicians looking to obtain a J-1 Waiver is to start early. “[Start] at least a full year before your graduation from fellowship or residency, and then working with trusted counsel. Particularly for these competitive programs, it’s important that you get it right and you get it in on time.” 

As part of a nationwide healthcare immigration practice, Webster works with employers and physicians on the J-1 Waiver through the immigration process, all the way to permanent residency for the physicians. He also partners with 3RNET to answer questions and hold training sessions for primary care offices and J-1 coordinators across the country. 

“The J-1 Visa is required for international medical graduates to come to the U.S. to do their clinical training program,” Webster explained. “Anyone in the U.S. in a clinical training program at J-1 status is subject to the 212 (e) home residency requirement. They have to go home for two years before they are eligible for H1-B Visa status.” The goal of the various J-1 Waiver programs across the country is to allow physicians to stay in the U.S. and work in a rural or underserved community for three years, after which the physician can apply for permanent residence. 

One reason an early start on the J-1 Waiver process is advantageous is that spots in certain states fill up quickly. Recommendations for approval cannot be issued until October 1st, but some states start accepting applications in August or September. “You wouldn’t necessarily know until you got pretty far into the process that Georgia starts early and is a very competitive state,” he said. 

Not only can slots be competitive, there is also a level of education that often has to happen on the employer’s part. If an employer has never done a waiver before, they will also need to do research, contact an attorney, and work with their state’s primary care office. 

Working across the country, Webster has worked with Conrad 30 Waivers, Health and Human Services (HHS) Waivers, and regional commissions such as the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission operating primarily in Florida and Georgia. 

For him, this work is a way to support physicians and healthcare organizations in meeting the needs of patients. “The physicians are really laser-focused on providing that great care and meeting the public health needs of a community. I can come alongside with my legal acumen and help them do that.” 

In addition to being familiar with the medical field through the work of many of his family members, Webster is himself from a rural area and understands the gaps in care that J-1 physicians fill. “My grandparents and parents see J-1 Waiver providers,” he said. “We don’t have coverage, particularly in rural and medically underserved communities and it’s not projected to get better anytime soon. This is really what we as a country need.” 

Later on in our series about those involved in the J-1 Waiver process, we will see the importance of attorneys like Matthew Webster to program coordinators like Ann Cranford in Tennessee and Jill D’Errico in Rhode Island. Together, the “players” in the J-1 Visa process help to bring needed care to those in rural and medically underserved communities across the country.