Green Cards for Physicians

The EB-2 Physician National Interest Waiver provides a streamlined path to permanent residency for physicians who commit to working in medically underserved areas. Key features of this pathway include:

• Requires a five-year commitment to work in an underserved area (this includes the three-year J-1 waiver requirement completed on an H-1B, but does not include time spent in J-1 residency or fellowship)
• The physician can self-sponsor — there is no requirement for the employer to pay the costs of the application
• The physician may apply immediately after starting on an H-1B
• The physician can work with the initial employer for the first three years and then complete the remaining time with another employer, provided the new work location is also in an underserved area
• The entire PERM labor certification process is bypassed
• Premium processing through USCIS is available

For more information on the EB-2 category and other green card pathways, see our Green Cards page.