Challenges Faced by J-1 International Medical Graduates (IMGs) During COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

In March 2020, WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic which led to many countries closing their borders to contain the spread of the virus, stay-at-home mandates were announced and governmental entities started working on minimal capacity. Delays in visa processing and renewal is one aspect that was hugely impacted by the pandemic and led to interruption in the training of many international medical graduates (IMGs). In this manuscript, we share our stories and perspective on the challenges faced by IMGs holding J-1 visa during COVID-19 pandemic.