The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Office of Primary Care and Rural Health (PCRH) is celebrating 20 years of the Conrad State 30/J-1 Visa Waiver Program.
“The Conrad State 30/J-1 Visa waiver programs were created by the federal government in 1994 to help reduce primary care shortages,” said Marc Watterson, Office Director, PCRH. “Utah accepted its first application in 2004. Since that time, we have had 78 applications from physicians interested in serving Utah’s healthcare needs.”
After international medical graduates finish their residency or medical schooling, they are required to live in their country of origin for at least 2 years before practicing medicine in the U.S. The Conrad State 30/J-1 visa waiver program (or J-1 program) is a temporary visitor visa, allowing foreign medical graduates who participate in graduate medical education programs in the United States to remain in the country to work. The J-1 program allows states to waive the 2-year requirement to return to their country of origin, in exchange for 3 years of service to underserved patients.
“We have been working hard to grow the program to serve healthcare needs in our state,” said Watterson. “We hope J-1 physicians, their employers, and immigration attorneys will consider our state when looking for an opportunity to work and serve our communities.”
Utah can recommend 30 J-1 physicians to the State Department each year, during a cycle that opens October 1 and ends September 30. Ten of these physicians may practice outside of a federally-designated shortage area, if they serve the underserved. The remaining 20 must practice within a shortage area.
While Utah’s program has been underutilized, it is growing. In 2022, 2023, and 2024, 32 J-1 physicians applied for a J-1 visa waiver in Utah. Most J-1 doctors are specialists, and are drawn to urban areas with large hospitals. However, 4 of these J-1 physicians, a record number, joined practices outside the Wasatch Front. These physicians bring important services and expertise to our state, working in highly specialized fields like pediatric pulmonology, rheumatology, neurology, and immunology. The J-1 program has grown by approximately 30% each year for the past 2 years. Read success stories of visa waiver physicians Fadi Asfour, John Ryan, and Daniela Solzbaucher.