Travel and visa for Doctors/ dentists.
Being an international dentist, I get asked about these things often. So I am giving you a very easy breakdown of categories. There are various visa categories which the international dentists can use in order to immigrate to USA. There would be various other details in each visa categories and I would strongly recommend you to check the US travel website for the same.
Dentistry is not considered under STEM courses.
Medicine and related courses are considered under STEM category.
Lets start with the steps and the possible scenarios. For details regarding each step please subscribe and become a member at thedentisthomie.com
Tourist visa (B1/B2 ):
People visiting the USA for the purposes of attending educational conferences, tourism, short business trips can usually utilize these visas. A person is usually not eligible to work in USA on this visa. International dentists can utilize this visa in order to visit USA to appear for the INBDE exam as well.
Student visa (F visa):
When international students get accepted into any school and have an I-20 they need to be on a F visa. On an F visa, students can attend colleges and are eligible for on campus work for 20hrs/ week.
Optional Practical Training (OPT):
Students who are authorized Practical Training (OPT) must have a Form I-20 endorsed for OPT, and apply to USCIS for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). When authorized, OPT is temporary employment that is directly related to the eligible F-1 student's area of study. To learn more about OPT, please visit the and the webpage. Usually a person with OPT can work for 1-3 yrs after STEM related courses and for 1yr after DDS/MS/ dental courses.
Temporary employment visas:
Dentistry/Medicine is considered a specialty occupation and most often people need a employer to sponsor their H1B visa. International person can work with this visa after US education. H1b visa is awarded based on a lottery system. The current annual statutory cap is 65,000 visas, with 20,000 additional visas for foreign professionals who graduate with a master's degree or doctorate (dentists) from a U.S. institution of higher learning. An H1B visa is generally good for three years. The visa may be extended for an additional three years. To obtain an extension, the employer must file a new Form I-129 and submit additional filing fees. Your H-1B status can be extended even beyond the maximum of 6 years of authorized stay, provided you have an employment based green card petition filed on your behalf in an either EB1, EB2, or EB3 categories by your employer. Person on H1b visa can only work as an employee and cannot own a dental practice. Person on this visa can buy home/land etc and are usually eligible for bank mortgage/ home loans, provided they have a good credit history.
H1b visas can go through premium processing and obtained in 15-30 days once chosen in the lottery
Dependent visa:
Dependents of (Primary =H1B /L1 visa holding individuals) usually get the H4 or L2 visas. Rules of these have changed so please check USCIS website for more details. Dependent person on H4 visa cannot work in USA unless their i-140 document for their primary visa holder is approved. Once it is approved and they have an employment authorization document or EAD they can freely work without any restrictions until the validity period of their EAD. However dependent visa holders can study in US schools. In many schools they may possibly be considered for instate tuition if they have lived in the state for a few years and it should be confirmed with the specific schools. Usually people on H4 visa can be owner of dental practices but banks do not give dental practice loans to dependents/ H4 .
currently H4 visa and EAD processing has been taking 12-15 months due to COVID
Green card EAD or GC EAD:
This EAD is also known as a nonimmigrant US work permit, and it permits individuals on a nonimmigrant visa to work legally in the US. It is for individuals in the process of applying for a green card are also eligible. EAD is not a stand-alone document on its own. You cannot just come to the United States solely for the purpose of applying for an EAD. It must be tied to an underlying status, to which the EAD will be issued. This may be via a work visa or other means. Some private banks may consider loans but most commonly huge practice loans are not available even when you have GC EAD alone. However you can still be an owner or startup with personal savings.
GC EAD has been taking 15-18 months for people born in countries like India , China. Many other countries have a faster processing schedule.
Green Card:
A green card gives you both lawful permanent resident status and the legal right to work in the U.S. With your green card, you do not need any other document to prove your eligibility to work since that is an inherent benefit of the green card. Dental practices can be started/owned when a person has a green card. The US banks can grant the person a huge loan for the same. Person still cannot vote. Travelling in and out of US to various countries is easier.
Green card processing for India and China has been taking about 10-12 yrs at present. Many other countries have a faster processing schedule. Future applicants may take more time due to the present backlog.
Citizenship:
Congrats if you are a citizen, you are eligible to vote. You can travel freely to various countries easily. Banks grant huge dental practice loans depending on your credit history.
Citizenship and naturalization can happen in about 2-5 yrs. Various countries have different processing times.
So this is the gist of all the most commonly asked questions about US travel, visa and immigration. However I am not an immigration lawyer and please do not consider this as legal advice. Incase of individual needs please consult an immigration lawyer.