Today, approximately one-quarter of physicians in active patient care in the United States are international medical graduates (IMGs). Some of these IMGs are U.S. citizens who graduated from a medical school located abroad. However, many of these physicians were born abroad, and came to the United States to complete medical residencies and fellowships. They must qualify for temporary visas in order to work in the U.S.

It is therefore important for hospitals, medical groups, academic centers, community health centers and other facilities who wish to recruit these physicians to have some understanding of U.S. immigration laws.

What follows are a number of frequently asked questions concerning U.S. immigration laws as they pertain to internationally trained physicians who were born abroad.