Statements of Need for Postgraduate Medical Training in the United States (2013)

Statements of Need are issued by Health Canada to medical graduates to assist them to obtain a J-1 Visa to pursue post-graduate medical training in the United States. The Statement of Need is one of many requirements of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) that must be met before a J-1 Visa can be issued.

Table of Contents

• What is a J-1 Visa and How do I apply for one?
• What is a Statement of Need?
• Who issues Statements of Need in Canada?
• Who is eligible for a Statement of Need?
• How do I apply for a Statement of Need?
• I already have a Statement of Need. What do I do if I wish to change my specialty, change my location or undertake additional training?
• How can I get help finding employment in Canada upon completion of my training in the U.S.?
• What if I already have J-1 Visa sponsorship with another country?
• Who do I contact for additional information?

What is a J-1 Visa and How do I apply for one?

The designated visa for foreign national physicians is the J-1 Visa, a temporary non-immigrant visa reserved for participants in the Exchange Visitor Sponsorship Program (ESVP).

When medical graduates wish to pursue post-graduate medical training in the United States, they must obtain an appropriate visa that permits entry to the United States to undertake clinical training activities.

Medical graduates must apply to the  Exchange Visitor Sponsorship Program, Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) to obtain the J-1 Visa.

To obtain the J-1 Visa, applicants must, among other requirements, obtain a Statement of Need.

What is a Statement of Need?

Statements of Need confirm that qualified medical practitioners are needed in Canada and that the medical graduates who are pursuing postgraduate medical education in the United States sincerely intend to return to Canada and practice medicine in the field of medicine in which they will receive the training.

Who issues Statements of Need in Canada?

The Government of Canada, through Health Canada, issues Statements of Need on behalf of Canadian provincial and territorial jurisdictions. List of contacts within Provincial and Territorial Ministries / Departments of Health. It is expected that applicants, who wish to pursue postgraduate medical education in the United States, will be training in medical specialties that have been identified in provincial or territorial physician resource planning, and that the physician will be returning to Canada to practice medicine. The requirements for obtaining a Statement of Need from the Government of Canada are subject to change as they are reviewed annually by provincial and territorial governments and Health Canada.

Who is eligible for a Statement of Need?

Applicants must be Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents of Canada and must meet the requirements for obtaining a Statement of Need posted each January.

How do I apply for a Statement of Need?

In order to apply for a Statement of Need, candidates must complete an application form and provide a number of required documents to Health Canada. There are several versions of the application form and specific requirements depending on the profile of the applicant and the type of medical training that is being sought in the United States.

To find out more how to apply for a Statement of Need, please select the category that best describes you:

• Medical graduate currently enrolled in a Canadian specialty residency training program who wishes to pursue a fellowship [Category A].
• Final-year medical student currently enrolled in a medical school in Ontario, British Columbia or Quebec who wishes to pursue medical specialty training in the U.S. [Category A - FYMS].
• Final-year medical student currently enrolled in a medical school in Ontario, British Columbia or Quebec who wishes to pursue family medicine training in the U.S. [Category A - FYMS].
• Medical graduate currently enrolled in a Canadian specialty residency training program who wishes to pursue a Short-Term Rotation or Elective training program (less than 6 months) in the same specialty [Category A - ST].
• Medical graduate not currently enrolled in Canadian postgraduate training and not a licensed specialist in Canada who wishes to pursue medical specialty training in the U.S. [Category B].
• Medical graduate not currently enrolled in Canadian postgraduate training and not a licensed specialist in Canada who wishes to pursue family medicine training in the U.S. [Category B].
• Licensed physician who wishes to pursue a fellowship in the U.S. within my current field of practice [Category C - Same Field].
• Licensed physician who wishes to pursue medical specialty training in the U.S. different from my current field of practice [Category C - Different Field].

Additional information and descriptions of the applicant categories.

If your circumstances are not described above or you have questions about determining your category, please contact the Program Administrator using the following email address: j1visa@hc-sc.gc.ca.

I already have a Statement of Need. What do I do if I wish to change my specialty, change my location or undertake additional training?

Physicians with a current Statement of Need who wish to change the specialty, to change the location of the training program (same specialty), or to undertake additional postgraduate medical training in a sub-specialty, fellowship or Chief Resident program in the United States, must apply to Health Canada for a new Statement of Need.

For more information about obtaining a new Statement of Need, select the applicant category that you used for your initial Statement of Need application from the list of categories above, and follow the links for "I already have a Statement of Need".

How can I get help finding employment in Canada upon completion of my training in the U.S.?

If they wish, recipients of a Statement of Need can be provided with assistance with seeking employment opportunities in Canada via a recruitment process. In order to participate in this recruitment process, applicants must sign the form entitled Consent to the Disclosure of Personal Information to Provincial and Territorial Governments for Recruitment Purposes.

By signing the Consent Form, the recipient of the Statement of Need permits Health Canada to disclose their personal contact information to provincial and territorial governments for recruitment purposes. Please note that disclosure of contact information will not automatically result in employment offers.

The Consent Form may be signed at the time of application for a Statement of Need or at any time during the training in the United States. Declining to sign the Consent Form will not affect Health Canada's decision whether or not to issue a Statement of Need.

What if I already have J-1 Visa sponsorship with another country?

Applicants must first submit, in writing, the rationale for obtaining a Statement of Need now from the Government of Canada.

Applications for a Statement of Need from the Government of Canada from physicians who already have J-1 Visa sponsorship, with support from another country, will be reviewed and assessed on a case-by-case basis, and every application will be reviewed by the federal-provincial-territorial committee.

Assessment of an application under this circumstance

Each application will be assessed against the following criteria:

1. The physician must first submit, in writing, the rationale for obtaining a Statement of Need from Health Canada when J-1 Visa sponsorship from another country had already been obtained or is still in effect. This submission will be evaluated by the Statement of Need Committee and if the committee agrees, the physician will then be requested to submit an application under Category B.
2. The physician must demonstrate substantial intent to obtain a medical licence and practice medicine in a specialty or subspecialty that has been identified on the List of Needed Specialties.
3. The physician must demonstrate there are no outstanding commitments of any kind to the other country. A statement or letter issued by the ministry of health of the country that issued the original 'home country letter' assuring there is no outstanding commitment of any kind, and assuring there is no objection to the physician not returning to that country, could satisfy this condition.
4. Other information and documentation may be required in order to assess the physician's circumstances and to ascertain the benefit of issuing a Statement of Need from the Government of Canada now to an individual who already has or had J-1 Visa sponsorship from another country.

Who do I contact for additional information?

If you have questions about determining your category or require additional information about applying for a Statement of Need, please contact the Program Administrator using the following email address: j1visa@hc-sc.gc.ca.