Initially appeared on doktorko.com 5/10/2005.
Q: its hell to apply for visa here, especially since last year or so. they assume everyone is out for TNT unless proven otherwise. they don't give a damn if you spend millions and millions shopping there and boost US revenue 500% overnight. if you can't prove youre coming back, you might as well tell the consul you intend to go TNT. everyone i know (or my friends know) who presented the letter of assistance for visa by ecfmg was denied. also, they don't issue multiple entry anymore, except for those who are just seeking for renewal. and the maximum they give is six years. if you by chance are lucky enough to be granted a visa, you have only 3 months to leave. that's why i'm racking my brain thinking of proof that i will be coming back. evidence of current employment would likely do the trick. unfortunately, i actually NEED a job first.
that h1 sponsorship is my dream, along with several thousand others. yes, i will apply to j1 programs too. i plan to apply to mayo clinic in jacksonville and to cleveland clinic. if i do get a 6month visa i could stay in the USA only till december. will the programs be the ones to contact me if they're interested to interview me? if that's the case, is it possible to request an early date so that i could finish all interviews by december, or is the interview date nonnegotiable?
plus, cleveland clinic requires at least 2 months US clinical experience. so hopeless na ako dun? should i still bother applying there?
A: it should be fairly easy to get that experience through "externships" or "observerships." that is, just look for someone you know (and preferably like) and just follow them around for 2 months. that should be sufficient "clinical experience" to meet the criteria.
although i cannot predict what the consul will do, i'm 2 for 2 in interviews, so i think i might be at least a little qualified to give advice on this matter.
i was actually urged by many people to apply for a us visa on the pretext of "wanting to tour the states," but in the end i decided that it would be best for all concerned if i was forthcoming about my plans to train abroad from the start. my logic was: if they give me a six-month visa because i said i'd just be touring, the chance that they'd approve my visa the next time would be exponentially lower because i would have proved that i lied by taking a test and doing interviews "while on tour." my general gameplan was to admit that i wanted to train in the states but to make it look like it didn't matter whether or not i got in, since i was "rich" enough in the first place and didn't need their sweet dollars. to that end, i "bulked up" on assets to "prove" that i didn't want to be TNT. this is a song-and-dance routine that has been going on for decades - just ask anyone who's applied for a us visa. btw, there is a shortage of doctors in the states now; i don't know how that would affect the interview process, but it's a tidbit of information that you might want to insert into the conversation somehow.
even if they give you a visa worth only a month, you can extend it ad infinitum (at least i think so - i've never actually done it, but i know a couple of people who have) once you're here - as long as you can prove that you have a valid reason for wanting/needing to stay. again, if you tell the consul that you'll be touring but apply for an extension because you're actually interviewing, that might not be looked upon favorably.
be mindful of how many programs you apply to. some advocate fifty. some advocate a hundred. it'll cost you a small fortune but hopefully it'll be worth it in the end.
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