Physicians Test Your Immigration IQ

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The following online interactive quiz will test your knowledge and sharpen your skills regarding immigration laws and procedures relating to physicians. Before taking the quiz, you may want to review the materials contained in our website concerning physicians. This is an open-book test. If you answer at least seven of the ten questions correctly, we will give you the opportunity to see each of the correct answers followed by a brief explanation. If not, you may reread the materials and retake the test as many times as you wish. Good luck!



  1. A “foreign medical graduate” (FMG or an “international medical graduate”- IMG) is defined by the U.S. immigration laws as a physician who graduated from a medical school which is not located in
    • The United States
    • The United States or another English-speaking country
    • North America
    • The United States or Canada
  2. An IMG must complete a medical residency in the U.S. and pass certain examinations in order to be licensed in the state of intended employment. Which of the following IMG’s are subject to the two-year foreign-residency requirement:
    • Aliens in exchange visitor (“J”) status
    • Aliens with Employment Authorization Documents issued by INS
    • Aliens in temporary worker (“H-1B”) status
    • Refugees and Asylees
  3. To obtain H-1B status, an IMG must take and pass all parts of any of the following tests:
    • VQE, FMGEMS or USMLE
    • FLEX, NBME or ECFMG
    • USMLE, NBME or FMGEMS
    • NBME, FLEX or USMLE
  4. The two-year foreign residence requirement means that certain IMG’s who receive graduate medical education and training in the U.S. must
    • Return to their country of birth for two continuous years
    • Return to their country of nationality or last residence for two years
    • Return to their country of nationality or last residence for two continuous years
    • Return to their country of birth for two years.
  5. An IMG may receive a “waiver” of the two-year foreign-residence requirement by each of these methods except one. Identify the non-qualifying method:
    • By establishing “exceptional hardship” to certain qualifying family
      members
    • By being sponsored by an “interested governmental agency”
    • By obtaining a “no objection letter” from his home country
    • By demonstrating that it is likely that he would be “persecuted” if
      he returned to his home country
  6. The Conrad State 30 Program allows state departments of public health to sponsor IMG’s for waivers of the two-year residency requirement. All of the following states sponsor physicians who are specialists except one. Identify the state which sponsors only primary care physicians.
    • Texas
    • California
    • Washington
    • Florida
  7. An IMG who completes her residency and starts her fellowship in H-1B status needs a 7th year H-1B extension to finish her fellowship. Which of the following methods would allow her to obtain an extension of her H-1B status?
    • Letter from fellowship program to USCIS
    • I-130 filed by her citizen husband took over 1 year to be approved
    • I-140 took over one year to be approved
    • DS-2019 form issued by ECFMG
  8. IMG’s who are subject to the two-year foreign-residence requirement, and have not received a waiver, may nevertheless
    • Obtain an “O-1″ (extraordinary ability) visa abroad
    • Change their status from J-1 to H-1B (specialty occupation)
    • Adjust their status to a permanent resident if they marry a U.S. citizen
    • Obtain an “L-1″ (intracompany transferee) visa abroad
  9. Which of the dependent family members of an IMG may apply for employment authorization?
    • A spouse or child in H-4 status
    • A spouse or parent in J-2 status
    • A parent or child in H-4 status
    • A spouse or child in J-2 status
  10. If an IMG receives a J waiver which does not obligate him to be employed in a medically underserved area for three years, he may obtain permanent residence in which of the following ways?
    • Through marriage to a U.S. citizen
    • Through the Diversity Lottery Visa
    • Through an employment-based petition
    • All of the above


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