Hiring a H1-B visa holder is an excellent way to acquire a clinician with the clinical skills needed in your community. These physicians are U.S. residency trained and are simply seeking an employer who will give them the opportunity to practice medicine. Essentially, you hire a physician with an H1-B visa for exactly the same reasons you would hire a physician not requiring a visa.

Many employers quickly turn down H1-B visa holders based on a belief that they must have some sort of special authorization or that the process is unduly complicated. Both assumptions are incorrect and may prevent an employer form hiring a well qualified physician candidate. Almost any employer may hire a Physician who holds an H1-B visa. If you have a tax ID number and are willing to “employ” the visa holder, you are essentially “qualified” to hire an H1-B visa holder.

Typically the candidate will have an immigration attorney to facilitate the process. The candidate normally pays the legal fees associated with the process. Processing fees will be in the $1,500 – $2,500 range and are normally paid by the employer. This is an item that should be discussed during contract negotiations

To have a reasonable chance of hiring a candidate and receiving H1-B visa authorization, the process should be initiated in early Spring.