J-1 Alien Physician: Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible for a J-1 Alien Physician visa, one must fulfill the following requirements set by the U.S. department of State:

Pass USMLE® Step 1, Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) and Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS); or the former VQE, NBME® Part I and Part II, or FMGEMS; or an acceptable combination thereof. (Note: The former one-day ECFMG Examination and the Federation Licensing Examination (FLEX) do not meet the requirements for J-1 visa sponsorship.)
Hold a Standard ECFMG Certificate without expired examination dates, if applicable. (Note: Graduates of LCME accredited U.S. and Canadian medical schools are not required to be ECFMG-certified.)
Hold a contract or an official letter of offer for a position in an approved graduate medical education or training program.
Provide an original Statement of Need from the Ministry of Health of the country of most recent legal permanent residence. This statement must provide written assurance that the country needs specialists in the area in which the Exchange Visitor will receive training and that he/she will return to the country upon completion. If permanent residence is in a country other than that of citizenship, the Statement of Need must come from the country of most recent legal permanent residence.