Argh! Anyone know the answer?- US medical elective visa

[Medic1985]

Hi guys,

Just wondering if anyone had any idea what to do:

Am going for to the US during Nov Dec 08 during my final year to do an 'elective clerkship'. Have been going aroudn in circles re whether or nto I need a visa.

The official US embassy website (Business (B1) Visa) states the following:

Medical Elective

A medical student studying at a foreign medical school and who seeks to enter the United States temporarily in order to take an “elective clerkship” at a U.S. medical school’s hospital without remuneration from the hospital may be eligible for a B-1 visa, or visa free travel under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Note: The medical clerkship is only for medical students pursuing their normal third or fourth year internship in a U.S. medical school as part of a foreign medical school degree. (An “elective clerkship” affords practical experience and instructions in the various disciplines of medicine under the supervision and direction of faculty physicians at a U.S. medical school’s hospital as an approved part of the alien’s foreign medical school education. It does not apply to graduate medical training, which normally requires a J-visa).

If applying for a visa, a letter from the U.S. medical school outlining the nature and duration of the elective clerkship should accompany the application. If traveling under the VWP, the letter from the school should be presented to the U.S. immigration official at the port of entry.

Students seeking training as physiotherapists, dentists, nurses or vets require either an exchange visitor (J-1) or trainee (H-3) visa.

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I fit the bill in all the above terms and conditions, except for their weird thing about "The medical clerkship is only for medical students pursuing their normal third or fourth year internship in a U.S. medical school as part of a foreign medical school degree"
Do they mean THEIR 3rd year and 4th year or OUR British 3rd year or 4th year - I'm going during my final (6th) year.

So I rang up the premium rate £1.20 a min(!) phone line for a lady to not answer my Q and simply read out half their website for a nice 10 mins, which I'd already told her I'd read myself, and then when I kept sayign she hadn't answered my Q she said to email the embassy. Who have now replied about 2wks later saying:

Thank you for your e-mail correspondence. The US law provides that
students wishing to complete medical electives in the US may do so in
their 3 or 4th year. We can not advise that you travel visa free if you
do not meet this criteria as you may encounter difficulty at the US port
of entry if Immigration Officials are concerned that you are not
eligible for the B1 category.

Alternatively, medical electives may be arranged in certain cases on a
J-1 exchange visitor program. Further information is available on the
US Embassy website on the following link:
Embassy of the U.S. London: J visa - Exchange Visitors.

AARGH! When US medics do their 3rd or 4th year internships, they're not actually med students are they? I thought they were qualified Docs? And this J1 visa requires that you are sponsored by the instituition - well the US hospital is not giving me any money, so I'm guessing I'm not sponsored? Or J1 says it has to be for my postgrad med education, but I'm not a postgrad (unless an intercalated BSc now makes me a post grad lol!)

I would obviously rather just go there, under the Visa waiver programme with a letter from the US hospital, but if immigration are following all the silly rules like above then technically I won't be let in. Adding to that, I'm not going for 'business, pleasure or tourism' so I don't qualify for the regular visa waiver programme.

Anyone got any similar experience or solutions??

Any help would be appreciated.

[iheartmedicine]

I think that you should phone the American Embassy in London and speak with someone.

[Medic1985]

Unfortunately tried that this morning but they said they could not come up with a definitive answer and to email the embassy as this is the only way they can answer queries that they could not answer over the phone. The embassy took 2 wks to reply last time I asked them my query :S and they didn't even seem to know themselves as they recommended the J1 visa which I do not fit the criteria for at all. Don't know why they have to make it so difficult! lol

[iheartmedicine]

How long will you there and where will you be doing your elective? Can you contact the place where you will be doing your elective and find out through them what international students usually do?

[Pammy]

In America, med is always a postgrad degree...So in Years 1-2, people do more basic science, and in Years 3-4, they do their rotations. When you go there as a foreign student, the way it usually seems to work is that you join the US med students for one of their regular rotations.

So the way I read the original visa comment is: you have to go there to do just that (i.e. take part in their 3rd/4th year rotations), but you have to be enrolled at a med school outside US...I can't imagine that it would mean 3rd/4th year in England as that totally doesn't make sense!

There are tons of people who do their electives in the US, so the visa can't be such a problem? Can you ask the med school directly?

[mihir]

If you're elective is less than 90 days you should use the VWP.
Do carry proof of funds (bank statements), a letter from your university (explaining when exactly students do electives), letter of acceptance from the US university and probably malpractice insurance proof....
which uni's did you apply to? I'm thinking of sending out emails in the next few weeks