What is the J-1 Visa Waiver Program?
The Conrad 30 J-1 Waiver Program is a nationwide initiative that allows J-1 foreign medical graduates (FMGs) to apply for a waiver of the 2-year foreign residence requirement upon completion of the J-1 exchange visitor program.
National Guidelines
Although each state has developed its own application rules and guidelines, the following program requirements apply to all J-1 foreign medical graduates.
The J-1 foreign medical graduate must:
- Have been admitted to the United States under section 101(a)(15)(J) of the INA to receive graduate medical training;
- Enter into a bona fide, full-time employment contract to practice medicine in H-1B nonimmigrant status for at least 3 years at a health care facility located in an area designated by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), Medically Underserved Area (MUA), or Medically Underserved Population (MUP) or serving patients who reside in a HPSA, MUA, or MUP.
- Obtain a “no objection” statement in writing from their home country if they are contractually obligated to return to their home country upon completion of the exchange program.
- Agree to begin employment at the health care facility, specified in the waiver application, within 90 days of receipt of the waiver, not the date their J-1 visa expires.
Visit the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services page for further information
Indiana's J-1 Waiver Program - Updates
Posted February 24, 2025
The 2025 Cycle of the J-1 Visa Waiver Program is now closed.
- Indiana received 42 applications total between September 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024.
- The 2025 Cycle recommendations included 6 primary care applications and 24 specialist applications.
- Indiana will release the guidelines for the 2026 Cycle this summer and will open for application submissions this fall.
Please contact Natalie Morrison with any questions.
Update to Indiana J-1 Visa Waiver Program 2025 Guidelines 6/20/24
The Indiana State Department of Health has updated the 2025 J-1 Visa Waiver Guidelines, effective immediately. Please note the change in section 4.d. of the Application Requirements regarding non-compete clauses from the original version of the 2025 guidelines.
J-1 Visa Waiver Application Cover Sheet
J-1 Visa Waiver Guidelines and Requirements (Updated 6/20/24)
J-1 Visa Waiver Affidavit and Agreement
J-1 Visa Waiver Verification of Employment
(now an online form)
Urgent Indiana J-1 Visa Waiver Program Update 8/28/24
Indiana will no longer accept paper applications for the J-1 Visa Waiver Program due to a U.S. Department of State Policy change. All applications will need to be sent via email as attached documents. No mailed paper copies will be reviewed or considered. Additionally, the Indiana J-1 Visa Waiver Program Checklist is now a required document in the application package. The application cycle will still open September 1, 2024, and will stay open until December 31, 2024.
Please carefully review the changes in the following sections of the Indiana J-1 Visa Waiver Program Guidelines:
- Application Review and Submission section; last paragraph
- Application Procedure section; line 3
- Requirements 1-17 section; first paragraph and the addition of requirement 17 (the Indiana J-1 Visa Waiver Program Checklist)
To assist with the process, we are sharing the publication of:
J-1 Visa Prioritization Write Up,
J-1 Prioritization Matrix Ranking,
and J-1 Prioritization Heat Map.
Please reach out to Natalie Morrison with any questions.
J-1 Update
Posted January 30, 2024
Please see the note below from IDOH regarding the 2025 Cycle:
The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) will be updating how J-1 Visa Waiver recommendations are prioritized to the US Department of State.
Priority will continue to be given to primary care providers. Specialists seeking waivers will be ranked according to a combination of Health Professional Shortage Area scores, Medically Underserved Area scores, Medically Underserved Population areas, and Social Vulnerability Index ratings.
Our partner in this effort, the Indiana Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA) has developed a tool that aggregates diverse inputs, reconciling HPSAs, MUA/Ps, and SVIs to produce a harmonized score. The resulting score will be used to rank providers according to the need represented by the score. Applications will no longer be prioritized according to the date and time they are received.
At its discretion, IDOH may elevate applications for specific specialties in response to public health threats that may emerge.
This change will be implemented for the next round of applications beginning September 1, 2024, and will close December 31, 2024.
Please contact Natalie Morrison, IPHCA Workforce Program Director, with questions about applications.