Career Planning Advice
When foreign national medical graduates wish to pursue postgraduate medical training in the US, they must obtain an appropriate visa that permits entry to the US to undertake clinical training activities. The designated visa for foreign national medical graduates is the J-1 Visa, a temporary non-immigrant visa, reserved for participants in the Exchange Visitor Sponsorship Program (EVSP), issued by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG).
A Statement of Need is one of a number of requirements of the EVSP that must be met before a J-1 Visa can be issued to a medical graduate by the ECFMG.
you would apply as Category B: A final year medical student currently enrolled in any medical school, or a medical graduate of any medical school, who has not yet completed a medical specialty training program in Canada or the US who wishes to pursue medical specialty training; or a medical graduate currently enrolled in U.S. specialty or subspecialty residency training program who wishes to pursue a fellowship in the U.S.; or a licenced physician who wishes to pursue a new field of practice in the U.S.
Please see the information on the Health Canada website about applying for and obtaining your statement of need.
It would be important to begin taking steps to apply for your statement of need as soon as possible upon receiving your NRMP match result, as applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.