J-1 Visa Waiver Program
South Carolina will sponsor up to 30 waivers for foreign physicians per federal fiscal year. All physician specialties are eligible for consideration. All employers must be pre-approved by the Primary Care Office (PCO) and assigned a J-1 wavier slot before a waiver application will be accepted for processing.
Applicant facilities may request a slot assignment at any time. Applicant facility eligibility requirements are as described here:
- Employers can be, but are not limited to, publicly funded health care facilities or private entities.
- The health care facility must be located in a federally designated shortage area or must serve an underserved population.
- A facility must currently accept Medicare and Medicaid assignment and have an approved arrangement for treating indigent, uninsured patients.
- A facility must have been providing care for a minimum of 12 months in the state of South Carolina prior to submitting its request.
- A facility must agree to submit semi-annual reports to the PCO. The reports must provide the status of the physician who received the wavier and information on the numbers of patients seen by payment category.
- A facility may not include a restrictive covenant/no compete clause in the physician’s contract.
Slot assignments are confirmed in a letter from the PCO director to the director of the heath care facility. Upon receipt of a slot assignment letter, the facility should assemble the J-1 Wavier application according to the South Carolina Standardized J-1 Visa Waiver Application for Conrad 30 Waivers. Often, the slot assignment letter will list additional, specific, documentation and letters of support that should also be included in the application.
Application Review Process
- Physicians need to submit the Department of State data sheet and a $215 processing fee to the U.S. Department of State (DOS) in order to establish a case number prior to submission of applications to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).
- DHEC will complete an initial review of the application within 10 working days of receipt.
- All incomplete applications will be returned to sender.
- Upon approval, DHEC will forward the waiver application to the DOS. The DOS must approve the application before it is sent to the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services for final approval.
- DHEC will send a copy of its support letter to the physician or their legal representative when the application is forwarded to the DOS.
- Application status can be tracked at the DOS using this link: http://169.253.2.79/
Current J-1 Practice Opportunities