H-1B Visas for Medical Technologists – What US Hospitals Need to Know
Rural hospitals and medical centers in the US have a more difficult time attracting healthcare workers, including medical technologists, to move to smaller rural towns to take these jobs. With healthcare worker shortages across the country, especially in rural areas of the US, hospitals and medical centers often reach out to our law firm asking how to onboard international medical technologists to fill their laboratory needs. This short article describes viable visa options for hospitals and medical centers facing this struggle to be able to recruit and retain qualified workers to fill these positions.
Medical Technologists and Medical Laboratory Scientists are critical positions for hospitals and medical centers. Hospital and Medical Center laboratories typically provide comprehensive testing in the areas of hematology, chemistry, microbiology, serology, and blood banking. The Medical Technology workers employed at these labs are usually tasked with ensuring that physicians have the accurate and timely access to patient test results to diagnose and treat patients.
Many US hospitals and medical centers do not have to wait until the H-1B lottery and hope that they get selected in the random H-1B selection process to file for an international Medical Technologist because they qualify for cap-exempt H-1Bs as non-profit, or county owned hospitals affiliated with institutions of higher education.
Does the Medical Technologist Position Qualify for H-1B:
To determine if a hospital or medical center could qualify to onboard an international Medical Technologist to join their lab team, they should first review their minimum job requirements to determine if their Medical Technologist position requires at least a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in a specific specialty. Typically, for a Medical Technologist or Medical Laboratory Scientist position, a bachelor’s degree in medical technology, medical laboratory science, biology, chemistry, or a directly related field is required. This means the position qualifies for H-1B.
International Medical Technologists and Medical Laboratory Scientists:
If a US hospital or medical center does not find local workers to fill Medical Technologist positions with the required qualifications, they may want to consider recruiting internationally. There are many qualified international workers looking to fill these positions in the US. The international worker recruited must possess the required bachelor’s or higher degree or equivalent to qualify for the H-1B job. The international worker will also need to apply for a visa screen from an approved agency such as CGFNS.
Exit Clearance for Some International Workers:
An exit clearance may be required from the worker’s home country, for example, the Philippines requires that an exit clearance be processed after an H-1B visa is approved, if the hospital or medical center is hiring the international worker through “direct hire” process, meaning not using a recruiting agency with a partner in the Philippines. While this process may seem daunting at first glance, our law firm has successfully assisted multiple hospitals and their international incoming employees in completing the exit clearance requirements and those international workers were able to enter the US and begin working on their H-1B visas for the US hospitals and medical centers. As always, it is important to consult with an immigration attorney with experience handling H-1B and Green Card process for healthcare organizations.
If you are an Employer looking to learn more about H-1B visa options and lawful permanent residency process, you might consider taking an online training through Corporate Immigration Compliance Institute. Trainings can be found here: https://www.usimmigrationcompliance.com/get-certified
Leyla McMullen, Corporate Immigration Lawyer
Mdivani Corporate Immigration Law Firm
