What to do when you land in USA as a J1 Physician?

 TO DO LIST AFTER YOU LAND IN USA-

1. IMMIGRATION-

Upon arrival to the US, you must present the J-1 visa stamp to the Immigration Officer at the airport. If everything is in order, the officer will put an admission stamp in your passport reflecting your date of admission and class of admission.  Personal experience- I landed at Chicago (ORD airport), it took me 5 minutes to go through immigration. I was asked to show my passport and ds2019. The officer also saw my immigration form (the small paper you get in-flight where you have to put how much money, goods, and other stuff you have in your bags). He asked me how much cash I have. That’s it. It took 5 minutes (max). However, every individual has their own experience.

2. Validation of Initial Arrival Form-

Visit your program coordinator on day 1/ 2 to fill in your form of initial arrival. You need to fill in your current address- it can be either permanent or temporary, like a friend’s house, Airbnb or Hotel. The form is uploaded by your program- TPL. Within 2- 10 days, the OASIS platform will show that your SEVIS account is validated. Personal- My account got validated in 2 days. I was asked to bring my passport with stamped visa along with the i94 form. The I-94 form should reflect your status as J-1. You can download the form after you landed in the US and cleared immigration. Website to download- https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home#section.

3. Request for duplicate ds2019- 

If you and your J2 dependants have travel plans outside the United States, you must submit a Request for Duplicate Form DS-2019. ECFMG will process the request within seven to ten business days and send the Form DS-2019 to the physician or Training Program Liaison by regular U.S. mail (10- 14 days). Suppose you want to receive the travel-validated Form DS-2019 by courier service. In that case, you must submit a completed, and fully signed Request for Duplicate Form DS-2019 and a pre-addressed, pre-paid airbill printed from an online source and uploaded through OASIS as a separate document. It is generally recommended to start with the request of the ds2019 duplicate form- 60 days in advance of travel. Personal- My program requested for a duplicate in the start only so that I already have the form with me, if I have an emergency plan to travel anywhere 😊.

4. SSN number-

It is advised that the physician applies for the SSN no less than 10 days after entry to the U.S. and after sevis validation. You should ask your program if they’ll apply for an SSN appointment for you, or you have to make an appointment. If you have to take it, ask them about the local social security office that you should apply to. You don’t need an SSN number to start residency, but it is required to get paid. Following documents are required for SSN appointment-

1.      Form SS-5: The SSN application form–can be downloaded from the Social Security website.

2.      Form DS-2019

3.      Residency Contract

4.      I-94 Record Printout

5.      Passport with J-1 visa

6.      Any other document requested by your local office

5. NPI number- 

It is required to start residency. You can apply online if you have your SSN or offline via courier if you don’t have SSN. At 5 minutes in the video I made, you can see how to check online if your NPI application was accepted. Your name would appear in the registry along with the NPI number if it was accepted. Personal- My application reached NPI Numerator on April 7th. The NPI number was approved on May 7th. So, it took four weeks for my NPI number to be processed.

Video link- https://youtu.be/SsMsFfzPcXU

6. State Medical License-

Check the requirements for a state medical license. You may or may not need a separate license. Personal- I sent my education credential verification form, degree, and application via courier. I got my Vermont State Medical License approved.

7. Bank Account- 

You need to have an account to get paid. It can be opened anytime before your first month's salary. Most banks require two identifications. Some also substitute one identification with a letter from your program. Some banks also have an initial offer with opening a new account. The most common banks in the US are Chase Bank, Bank of America, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, etc.

8. Driving License- 

You should get a driving license, even if you don’t plan to drive. It can serve as an extra identification too. Every state has a different process to get a permit. It isn’t easy to survive without a car in most states in the US. (PS- You can survive without a car in NYC for sure…..go subways!!)

9. COVID Test- 

ECFMG/ CDC recommends getting tested between 3-5 days of international travel. Check your state guidelines regarding testing or quarantine. Most of the COVID tests are drive-through in the US. If you don’t have a car, check with the test center whether they’ll test you without a car. If not, the first option is to CALL A FRIEND, if you know someone in the area. If you don’t, like me, you can book an UBER. Let the Uber driver know that you have to get tested because of travel and have no symptoms. Also, let them know if you’re vaccinated, and you are willing to tip extra too. Most of the people recommended a minimum tip of 5$ for the drive-through test.

 

Feel free to comment down below, if I missed an important step.

Congratulations!!!!

TAKECARE.