5.       DHS Continues Investigation of Alleged Violations of J-1 Visa Waiver Program in Las Vegas

For close to two years, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been investigating alleged violations of the J-1 visa waiver program in the Las Vegas, Nevada area. 

The purpose of the J-1 visa waiver program is to provide physicians in areas of the US that have been designated as a shortage area; in return for their service in a medical shortage area, foreign physicians have their two-year home residency requirement waived, and are allowed to remain in the United States.  However, according to DHS, participants in the program serving in the Las Vegas area were not actually working in designated shortage areas.

The DHS investigation was initiated due to several articles in Las Vegas newspapers alleging that Las Vegas employers were taking advantage of the  J-1 visa waiver program.  According to the news reports, employers of foreign physicians assigned the doctors to work in locations other than those listed on the waiver application in order to bill more charges.

In response to the articles, the Nevada Health Division increased its oversight of the visa waiver program in the state and began to conduct periodic site visits to ensure that the physicians were physically working at the location listed on the waiver application.  As a result, the state found that 6 employers were in violation of the program.

According to the foreign physicians, they could not complain about their work location assignments for fear of being fired and losing their visa status.