President Signs Physicians for Underserved Areas Act

On 1/12/2007, President Bush signed into law the Physicians for Underserved Areas Act (PL 109-477). The bill extends for two years a visa waiver program, often referred to as Conrad 30, which allows foreign doctors who work in underserved areas to remain in the country after completing their medical training.

Normally, J-1 visa holders who come to the U.S. for graduate or medical education are required to leave the country for two years before applying to return. A 1994 law (PL 103-416) created a program to waive that requirement for foreign physicians who agree to spend three years working with patients in medically underserved areas. The authorization for the program expired on June 1, 2006, and this law reinstates the visa waiver program for a period of two years.