October 30, 2013
Arizona Department of Health Services Expands its Physician National Interest Waiver Program
The Arizona Department of Health Services has announced that it will be expanding its National Interest Waiver (NIW) program for Permanent Residency for physicians effective November 1, 2013. The Arizona Department of Health Services has announced that it will be expanding its National Interest Waiver (NIW) program for Permanent Residency for physicians effective November 1, 2013.
The Arizona NIW program currently allows only Arizona J-1 Waiver physicians who have practiced full time at an underserved rural, outpatient primary care setting for at least one year to request an NIW attestation letter from ADHS. ADHS is expanding NIW participation to all Arizona J-1 Waiver physicians who have obtained their waivers through ADHS, as long as the physician has worked for at least one year at a qualifying service site and has complied with the Arizona J-1 Visa Waiver Program requirements. This change will benefit “for-profit” employers, hospitalists, specialists and physicians with urban worksites.
The NIW program provides a path to permanent residency for foreign physicians and eliminates the need for an employer to file a labor certification through the Department of Labor’s PERM program. If you are interested in learning more about NIW, please contact our office.