The Division of Public Health Services, Rural Health and Primary Care Section, has been given the responsibility within the State of New Hampshire to recommend and process J-1 Visa Waiver applications through the J-1 Visa Waiver Program (also known as the "Conrad State 30 Program").  This program is coordinated with the U.S. Department of State and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.
 

In communities that have shortages of primary care physicians and psychiatrists, the New Hampshire J-1 Visa Waiver Program increases access to primary health and mental health care by helping healthcare facilities recruit international physicians.  International medical graduates who study in the Unites States are required to return to their home countries for two years upon completion of residencies or fellowships.  The J-1 Visa Waiver Program allows these physicians to remain and practice medicine in the U.S.  Qualified international physicians must have completed their advance clinical training in an approved U.S. residency training program, must agree to work in federally-designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (MHPSAs), or Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/Ps), for three years, and must increase access to primary health care. 
 

• Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs, MHPSAs) may have shortages of primary care or mental health providers and may be urban or rural areas, population groups or medical or other public facilities.
• Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) may be a whole county or a group of contiguous counties, a group of county or civil divisions or a group of urban census tracts in which residents have a shortage of personal health services. 
• Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs) may include groups of persons who face economic, cultural or linguistic barriers to health care.
   
  

The J-1 Visa Waiver Program allows New Hampshire to sponsor thirty (30) J-1 Waiver applications per federal fiscal year, October 1-September 30 for primary care and sub-specialists.  Preference for J-1 waivers is usually given to physicians in primary care: Family Practice, Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Internal Medicine, and Psychiatry.  Supportive specialties include:  Geriatrics, General Radiology, Hospitalist, and General Surgery.  New Hampshire accepts J-1 Visa Waiver requests year-round.  New Hampshire reserves the right to recommend or decline any request for a waiver.  Requests for a New Hampshire J-1 Visa Waiver recommendation must be submitted by the healthcare facility or its immigration attorney.
 

New Hampshire is allowed to recommend ten (10) of the waivers to physicians whose work sites are not located in HPSAs, MHPSAs, or MUA/Ps but who care for patients who reside in HPSAs, MHPSAs, or MUA/Ps.  These applications will be referred to as "non-designated" J-1 Visa Waiver applications.
 

The amount of time necessary to completely process an application varies based on level of accuracy in the initial application.  Processing time in the Rural Health Primary Care office is usually 3-8 weeks from the time we receive the application to when we submit to the US Department of State.  The sponsoring legal representative will be notified.  Non-designated J-1 Visa Waiver applications may take longer.