The U.S. Department of State (DOS) recently reported statistics on J-1 waiver applications submitted to the agency in fiscal year 2010 (2009-2010). Of particular interest to physicians is the number of approvals in the following categories:

To obtain a J-1 waiver through a government program, the physician and employer must apply to the state or federal health agency sponsor for initial approval. The state or federal health agency then sends its preliminary approval to the DOS for approval. The DOS report indicates a 100% approval rate of such waiver requests. Undoubtedly, physicians and their employers who clear the state or federal health agency program have cause to celebrate!