By Karen Weinstock

Q - I am a medical doctor in India. Am I allowed to come to the US on tourist visas to take the Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) exam and USMLE part 3? Has the law restricting visitors to 30 days in the U.S. passed? Can I apply for an H-1B visa? Can I apply for an H-1B visa for a research position?

A - You may apply for a B-1 business visitor visa at a U.S. consulate in your home country and enter the U.S. on a B-1 business visitor visa in order to take the CSA and USMLE part 3 exams.

The law limiting temporary visitors in the B category for a 30-day admission has not passed yet. However the INS officers that interview you at passport control are tougher than before. You will probably be asked how long it will take you to complete these exams.

Once you have the results of the CSA and the USMLE part 3, you can look at getting an H-1B or a J-1 visa.

To apply for an H-1B for a research position, you do not need to pass the CSA and USMLE part 3. Since it takes a few months to pass these exams, in your case it may be better to work in research first under an H-1B visa and after completion of the licensing exams apply for an H-1B visa to do clinical work.

Please submit any question you have in health care immigration to kweinstock@visalaw.com.