Copyright © 1999-2003 by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. All rights reserved.
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Announcements
Administrative Fee for EVSP Applications (posted October 22, 2003) Effective January 1, 2004, the administrative processing fee for EVSP applications will increase from $140.00 to $200.00. The charge for applications received at ECFMG on or before December 31, 2003 will be $140.00. The charge for applications received at ECFMG after December 31, 2003 will be $200.00. ECFMG encourages exchange visitor physicians to pay online through OASIS on the ECFMG website. The EVSP administrative processing fee is non-refundable. Please note that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intends to charge an additional fee to cover its cost of implementing the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database for monitoring students and exchange visitors in the United States. The fee will not exceed $100.00. At this time, DHS has not issued final regulations regarding the exact amount and procedures for paying the DHS fee to the U.S. government. Additional information will be posted on this website as it becomes available.
ECFMG EVSP 2nd Annual Conference, January 21–23, 2004 (posted August 22, 2003) ECFMG's Exchange Visitor Sponsorship Program will host its 2nd Annual Conference on January 21–23, 2004 in Philadelphia. Detailed information is available at www.ecfmg.org/conference. SEVIS Compliance (posted January 31, 2003) Over the last five years, ECFMG has closely monitored US Government initiatives to track foreign national students and scholars. In 1997, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) introduced a pilot program known as "CIPRIS" at selected US universities and INS ports-of-entry. Following conclusion of the CIPRIS pilot program in 1999, INS proceeded to develop a nationwide tracking system known as "SEVIS," the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. In reaction to the terrorist attacks of September 2001, Congress accelerated implementation of SEVIS to January 30, 2003. INS has extended the mandatory compliance deadline to February 15, 2003. The new SEVIS system will enable INS to track and monitor all foreign nationals in F, J, and M status, including all ECFMG-sponsored J-1 physicians and their J-2 dependents. All J program sponsors, including ECFMG, are required to register, communicate, and comply with the SEVIS system. Institutions hosting ECFMG-sponsored J physicians do not interact directly with SEVIS. The role of the host institution/TPL and the exchange visitor remains substantially unchanged. Similarly, the process for applying for sponsorship and communicating with ECFMG remain the same. ECFMG has relied heavily on communication with the TPL at the host institution to report on their J-1 physicians. The introduction of SEVIS reinforces the need for accurate, complete, and timely communication among the TPL, exchange visitor, and ECFMG. SEVIS will have new reporting requirements, which will be facilitated through the ECFMG website. ECFMG will provide TPLs with additional information on these new reporting requirements in the near future. ECFMG has analyzed all technical and business documentation provided by INS and the Department of State (DOS). Over the past year, ECFMG's databases and custom software have been modified to assure SEVIS compliance by January 30, 2003. At this time, ECFMG has completed registration for the SEVIS production system. ECFMG has successfully printed Forms DS-2019 in the SEVIS test system. Testing with both the Real-Time Interactive and Batch processing systems confirm that ECFMG systems successfully interface with the SEVIS test environment. Through regular correspondence and communication with the SEVIS Help Desk and representatives of DOS, ECFMG has provided valuable feedback as INS continues to refine the SEVIS test system. ECFMG will meet the deadline for full SEVIS compliance. ECFMG anticipates issuing Forms DS-2019 on or before the grace period deadline of February 15, 2003. If you have any questions, please contact the Exchange Visitor Sponsorship Program. Please visit the ECFMG website for periodic updates.
ECFMG Certification and J-1 Visa Sponsorship: An Overview (posted October 30, 2001) ECFMG has received a number of inquiries in recent weeks regarding the requirements for ECFMG Certification. Inquiries have also focussed on ECFMG sponsorship requirements for the J-1 visa, the most common visa used to participate in U.S. programs of graduate medical education. The purpose of this document is to provide a brief overview of these programs, their requirements, ECFMG's role in these processes, and sources of additional information. Click here to view or print this document. Update on J-1 Visa Procedures (posted September 28, 2001) We are writing in the aftermath of the tragic events of September 11, 2001. ECFMG has received a number of questions about the J-1 Exchange Visitor Sponsorship Program. Please be advised of the following:
Please contact your Exchange Visitor Sponsorship Program regional advisor at
(215) 823-2121 with any questions you may have. For information on immigration matters you may find it helpful to reference the following web sites: American Immigration Lawyers Association at www.aila.org EVSP Addresses & Phone Numbers
Mailing your application to the incorrect address WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT DELAY in the processing of your application. |
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Copyright © 1999-2003 by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. All rights reserved. |
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