Office of International Student & Scholar Services

J-1 Visa Waiver Fees and Procedures

Ohio State 30 J-1 Waiver Program

The Ohio State 30 J-1 Visa Waiver Program offers a waiver to foreign national physicians who commit and sign a contract to provide services at a health care facility in an underserved area of Ohio for a total of 40 hours a week and for not less than three years.  This commitment waives the two-year home residency requirement and allows the foreign national physician to remain in the United States and change their immigration status for employment purposes. 

• • • Ohio Department of Health (ODH) will review applications in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) as well as placements in certain areas designated as Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs).
    • Generally, the program can recommend up to 30 waivers per fiscal year where the physician will be practicing in an HPSA and MUA.
    • Another 10 “FLEX” spots may be available depending on the type of patient mix and access to care.
    • If granted, this may avoid the two-year home country residency requirement for the Beneficiary, resulting in the University’s ability to file an H-1B petition for the prospective employee.
    • There is a strong preference for primary care physicians and psychiatrists who will practice in HPSAs.
    • Applications for other specialties are accepted with adequate documentation of community need. (Instructions and requirements are included with the application packet.)

 

Fees

A non-refundable fee of $3,571 is required for each application

and

Attorney fees for processing the applications packet

 

Other

• • Our office will assist the sponsoring Department in obtaining appointed counsel, who will then provide legal advice as to the entire process.
  • Once counsel is appointed, the College or Department will work with outside counsel throughout the process of filling out the Ohio State 30 J-1 Visa Waiver Program Application Packet as well as any other required forms, such as form DS-3035, and to submit the form to the attorney.
  • The College or Department will provide all information to the attorney and is responsible for being aware of deadlines and regulations.
  • The application process and the timeline vary year to year and the Department is advised to consult with their assigned attorney as early as possible to discuss the details.
  • The University of Toledo generally only sponsors a limited number of Conrad Waiver applications per year.
  • This waiver is never a guarantee regardless of sponsorship and the Department should perform due diligence regarding whether or not the application will qualify.
  • Sponsorship will be contingent upon the application qualifying as well as University stakeholders coming to a consensus on supporting an application where there are multiple departments or interest from the Health Science Campus.

 

Application process

1. Notice of intent to apply through ODH website:  Potential applicants are encouraged to complete and submit intent to apply.
   1. Sponsor’s information: contact person etc.
   2. Site information: practice site(s) name and address
   3. Physician’s information: specialty training, specialty practice, visa status and expiration
   4. Attorney information
   5. To apply, go to ODH Intent to Apply site.

2. File DS-3035, $120 fee with DOS:  Outside councel will advise on submitting DS-3035.  Upon submitting the DS-3035 online, the physician’s information is downloaded into a barcode and a case number is issued.  A copy of the barcode is required for State 30 application

3. Application packet will be released:  Outside counsel will prepare the application packet and submit with fees to ODH (the 2022 application cycle is not open yet).