Exchange Visitor Sponsorship Program (EVSP)

Exchange Visitor

Sponsorship Program (EVSP)

February 10, 2023

Page 1 of 2

Documentation

Checklist

Initial Sponsorship in an

ACGME-accredited Training Program or

Non-standard Training (NST) Program at an

ACGME-recognized Sponsoring Institution

STEPS IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS

The application process requires completion of the following steps:

1. Through EVNet, TPL submits an on-line appointment prole

2. Through EVNet, TPL uploads the necessary supporting documents for each applicant (with the exception of the SoN; see below for details)

3. Through OASIS, applicant accepts on-line appointment prole, pays the $370 administrative/application fee, completes the electronic

application, and uploads any documentation (not already submitted by the TPL) needed to complete application

4. Electronically or by mail/courier service, Ministry of Health ofcial or applicant submits the original SoN (see below for details)

NOTE: All uploaded documents must be in PDF format and must be uploaded one document at a time.

Documentation Required of Initial Applicants

Application Processing Instructions

The checklist below provides an overview of the basic requirements to apply for initial ECFMG sponsorship to participate in a clinical training

program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or NST program at an ACGME-recognized Sponsoring

Institution. Note that submission of a complete on-line application requires close coordination between each applicant and the Training Program

Liaison (TPL) at the teaching hospital. While ECFMG generally reserves four to six weeks from the time all required documentation is received

for review and processing, it is important to note that submission of all required documentation at the same time may signicantly shorten

processing time. Therefore, applicants and TPLs are encouraged to upload all required documentation on the same day, when possible. Note also

that EVSP will match the original Statement of Need (SoN) received from the home country government with the pending application. Applicants

can verify that an SoN has been received by checking the On-line Applicant Status and Information System (OASIS) regularly.

Any application deciencies and/or requests for additional documentation will be communicated directly by ECFMG to the TPL via e-mail.

Applicants are able to view deciency letters in OASIS. It is recommended that applicants and/or TPLs retain a copy of all uploaded materials.

STATEMENT OF NEED (SoN)

An original, ofcial SoN issued directly from the Ministry of Health in the country of most recent

legal permanent residence must be submitted directly to ECFMG. SoN letters are accepted in

two ways—electronically OR by mail/courier service.

Regardless of submission method, per the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), all SoNs must:

• Be issued by the federal/central ofce of the applicant’s country of most recent legal permanent

residence

• Be issued on ofcial Ministry of Health letterhead and addressed to ECFMG

• Exactly follow prescribed wording outlined in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §62.27

• Specify a need that exactly matches the name of the training specialty/subspecialty being

pursued

• Contain the ofcial stamp or seal of the issuing government and dated signature of issuing

ofcial on the SoN

Whether an SoN is sent

electronically or by mail/courier

service, there are specic,

respective submission procedures

and requirements. If an SoN

is received that does not meet

these requirements, it will not be

accepted.

View the submission

requirements, and the required

SoN format and wording, on the

EVSP website at https://www.

ecfmg.org/evsp/applying-general.

html#need

CONTRACT OR LETTER OF OFFER

The contract or letter of offer must specify:

• Start and end dates of the training year,

• Specialty and subspecialty of the training program/pathway,

• Training level,

• Stipend,

• And must be signed by both the applicant and an appropriate

hospital ofcial.

Continued on the next page →

February 10, 2023

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STATEMENT OF NEED (SoN) - Continued

• Be issued in English; if not issued in English, a certied word-for-word English translation is required (again, please note that the SoN

and any translation must follow regulatory prescribed language)

It is important to note that the source country for the SoN cannot be changed once an applicant acquires J-1 status. Any/all subsequent

SoNs must be issued from the same source country.

CURRENT CURRICULUM VITAE (C.V.)

The C.V. must detail a complete timeline of activities from the time of medical school graduation onward. Include education, profession, and

time off in a month/year to month/year format.

COPY OF PASSPORT NAME PAGE(S)

Submit a copy of the passport name page for the applicant and each dependent.

COPIES OF FORM(S) IAP-66 AND/OR DS-2019

Required if the applicant previously held J-1 visa status.

PROOF OF COUNTRY OF MOST RECENT LEGAL PERMANENT RESIDENCE (LPR)

Required if LPR differs from country of citizenship.

COPY OF FORM I-94 (arrival/departure record)

Required if applicant is in the United States at the time of application submission to ECFMG. Copies of electronically issued Form I-94 can

be downloaded at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/. Note that Form I-94 also may be attached to Form I-797, Notice of Action, issued by the U.S.

Department of Homeland Security.

OFFICIAL DOCUMENTATION OF FUNDING SOURCE*

Provides proof of funding by the organization paying the trainee directly or conrmation of the applicant’s personal funds if the source of

funding is other than, or in addition to, the salary provided by the hospital or institution where the training will take place.

• Outside Organization: A signed letter, on organizational letterhead, from an ofcial of the organization providing direct funding to the

applicant. The letter must include the terms and conditions, dates, and amount in U.S. dollars.

• Personal Funds: Submission of a letter signed by a bank ofcial or a copy of a bank statement on letterhead conrming the (self)

funding amount specied in the on-line application. Foreign currency amounts must also include U.S. dollar equivalent. IMPORTANT:

Letters and/or statements issued by a bank should not show personal account information such as account number or other personal

identier.

*Minimum funding levels are $1,600 per month for the exchange visitor physician, $600 per month for a J-2 spouse, and $400 per

month per child (any status).

EVIDENCE OF FAMILY RELATIONSHIP (marriage/birth/adoption certificate)

Required if requesting J-2 dependent sponsorship for a spouse and/or an unmarried minor child. If not in English, the certicate(s) must

include a certied, word-for-word English translation(s).

RETURN SHIPPING LABEL FOR EXPEDITED DELIVERY TO THE TPL (optional, but recommended)

If an application is approved, ECFMG will issue Form DS-2019, Certicate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Visa Status, to the TPL via

rst-class U.S. mail. ECFMG is not authorized to release the Form DS-2019 directly to an applicant. For expedited and trackable delivery,

applicants must upload a prepaid/preaddressed courier service shipping label at the time of application (prior to application review by

EVSP). EVSP staff cannot complete a shipping label on behalf of an applicant or institution. See https://www.ecfmg.org/evsp/applying-fees.

html#ds2019 for additional information on the use of shipping labels.

REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATES OF LIAISON COMMITTEE ON MEDICAL EDUCATION (LCME)-ACCREDITED

U.S. OR CANADIAN MEDICAL SCHOOL PROGRAMS

• COPY OF MEDICAL SCHOOL DIPLOMA: A certied, word-for-word English translation must accompany a non-English document.

• ENGLISH LANGUAGE ATTESTATION FORM: Required if the applicant is a graduate of an LCME-accredited Canadian medical school and

is not ECFMG certied (see http://www.ecfmg.org/evsp/attestation.pdf).

• FULL-FACE PASSPORT-SIZED PHOTOGRAPH: Uploaded as JPG.

CHANGE OF CATEGORY AND PROGRAM TRANSFER REQUEST DOCUMENTATION

Required if the applicant is currently in J-1 status (e.g., J-1 “research scholar”) and plans to seek a change of category and program transfer

through the U.S. Department of State (DoS). Detailed information and documentation requirements for applicants seeking a change of

category are available on the EVSP website at http://www.ecfmg.org/evsp/evspcocmemo.pdf.

Additional Documentation (required if applicable)