USMLE Step 2 CS plus Externship 2013

[DrK17]

Hi there. I and my wife (in our late twenties) are doctors currently pursuing an MD from a government medical college in India. We will complete our course by summer 2013 after which we will have to serve a 1 year bond (work in any government run medical hospital), on completion of which our original documents will be returned.

Both of us have cleared our Step 1 . We have scheduled the Step 2 CK and CS for December 2012 and Feb 2013, respectively.
We have also scheduled an externship for 4 weeks . We intend to apply for the B1/B2 visa.

We have the following documents with us :
1. A letter of leave of absence and a letter stating that we are currently students, from our current institute .
2. A letter provided by the ECFMG, CS scheduling permit and CS confirmation printout stating the date and place of CS exam.
3. Invitation letter from the agency managing our externship and the 3 day CS training classes towards the end of the externship.
4. Photocopies of previous mark sheets. (Originals are with the medical university)
5. Copy of USMLE Step 1 score list.
6. Proof of paid accomodation (rented apartment) in the US for 4 weeks.
7. Return flight tickets
8. Our income Tax returns of the previous year.
9. Marriage certificate

We had some queries:
1. My father in law will be financing our trip. Will that be an issue? He has the necessary financial resources and the documents to prove the same.
2. My wife has a couple of distant relatives in the US, should we mention them in the DS-160 form under the US point of contact tab? (We are not going to be staying with them during our trip)
3. Also, should I mention my father in law as a sponsor of our trip in the DS-160 form in the section asking details about the sponsor?
5. What other documents will we need?
6. How should we proceed during the interview?

We intend to schedule the VISA interview in a couple of days. Any inputs to help us better our chances of securing a B1/B2 VISA will be greatly appreciated.

Regards.

[peace999]

Do not show FIL as a funding sponsor. Both of you together must be getting a healthy stipend during MD course so you must
show self- funding of the trip. A financial dependence on a third person is a huge negative for a B1/B2 , especially for two married docs in their late twenties.
As it shows week financial ties to home country ,so more chances you won't return.

Do not mention distant relatives in US.

Do not mention paid externship. Any paid work is not allowed on B1/B2.

It would be better if one of you stayed back.
Two married doctors going together, usually means you won't return. So high chances of denial for both of you.
Even if you show you still need to complete courses in India.

[DrK17]

USMLE Step 2 CS plus Externship 2013

Do not show FIL as a funding sponsor. Both of you together must be getting a healthy stipend during MD course so you must
show self- funding of the trip. A financial dependence on a third person is a huge negative for a B1/B2 , especially for two married docs in their late twenties.
As it shows week financial ties to home country, so more chances you won't return.

Do not mention distant relatives in US.

Do not mention paid externship. Any paid work is not allowed on B1/B2.

It would be better if one of you stayed back.
Two married doctors going together, usually means you won't return. So high chances of denial for both of you.
Even if you show you still need to complete courses in India.

Thanks a lot peace999 for the prompt response !

What I actually meant about the externship is that we have paid for it and not the other way around. Sorry for not being clear.

We will show ourselves as the persons paying for the trip and avoid mentioning the distant relatives.

But the problem is that we have already submitted the DS 160 forms (but not yet scheduled an appointment).
Would it be advisable to submit a new DS 160 form?
Will they look at our old forms and ask us as why we changed the 'point of contact' and 'person paying for trip' details?

Thanks a lot again ! Awaiting your reply.

[peace999]

Thanks a lot peace999 for the prompt response !

What I actually meant about the externship is that we have paid for it and not the other way around. Sorry for not being clear.

We will show ourselves as the persons paying for the trip and avoid mentioning the distant relatives.

But the problem is that we have already submitted the DS 160 forms (but not yet scheduled an appointment).
Would it be advisable to submit a new DS 160 form?
Will they look at our old forms and ask us as why we changed the 'point of contact' and 'person paying for trip' details?

Thanks a lot again ! Awaiting your reply.

The most important criterion for a B1/B2 is strong ties to home country that will bring you back.
Other issues apart , you should seriously think again about going together, because that way you are leaving no ties here.
They won't care about your externship or CS , they will just deny.

You should have sought advice on the forum or from an attorney before you submitted the DS160.
If you can, my advice is to plan out a different strategy; by one of you going first.
You cannot submit a new DS 160 just to change a few details.

But you may be able to cancel it if you decide to cancel the current trip.
Call VFS to find out if this is possible.

[DrK17]

The most important criterion for a B1/B2 is strong ties to home country that will bring you back.
Other issues apart , you should seriously think again about going together, because that way you are leaving no ties here.
They won't care about your externship or CS , they will just deny.

You should have sought advice on the forum or from an attorney before you submitted the DS160.
If you can, my advice is to plan out a different strategy; by one of you going first.
You cannot submit a new DS 160 just to change a few details.

But you may be able to cancel it if you decide to cancel the current trip.
Call VFS to find out if this is possible.

I agree with you, we should have sought advice.
But we have already scheduled the interview and lets see how that goes. We will try to prove our ties in the home country and see how it works. (We genuinely are obligated to come back to finish our MD and serve the 1 year government bond after that).

Thanks again.

[DrK17]

We were handed the 221 (g) green form. We have already submitted all the documents via email. Hoping to hear from them soon so that we don't have to cancel the trip.

[peace999]

We were handed the 221 (g) green form. We have already submitted all the documents via email. Hoping to hear from them soon so that we don't have to cancel the trip.

Sorry I was away from the forum for about a week.
Ok, so you got 221g for more docs.
It is likely that you will get the visa. My best wishes.

Can you post what you were asked and
what does the green form 221g exactly say?

[DrK17]

Sorry I was away from the forum for about a week.
Ok, so you got 221g for more docs.
It is likely that you will get the visa. My best wishes.

Can you post what you were asked and
what does the green form 221g exactly say?

Sorry was busy with my Step 2 Ck exam.

They asked only a few questions:

1. What is your purpose of visiting US?
Ans. To give the USMLE Step 2 CS and a month of externship and a 3 day training course for Step 2 CS before that.

2. Have you given any other steps?
Ans. Yes, Step 1

3. Can I see the score card?
Ans. Sure

3. What do you do in India?
Ans. We are post graduate students in MD Pharmacology.

4. What do you do in Pharmacology, do you carry out any research?
Ans. Gave him a brief description of of our activities and research projects (mostly observational drug utilization studies)

5. How do you plan to fund your trip?
Ans. We will fund it ourselves.

After that, we were told that our application was fine and there was no problem with it but we should email them the documents listed and handed us the 221g letter.

Documents mentioned on 221g:
1) Invitation letter.
2) Resume.
3) Research.
4) Position.
5) Purpose of the visit.
6) Itinerary of all locations I will visit.
7) Funding: Name of the person who will fund my trip
8) Travelers: A list of all the travelers who will accompany me.
9) Travel dates of all international travel except for US.

We emailed all the documents on the same day (17th December).

Hoping that the processing will be done soon because we are supposed to fly on the 13th of January. The odds look slim but hoping for the best.

[DrK17]

Good news, our numbers appeared on the '221g processing completed' list on 4th Jan 2013. We have submitted our passports on 7th Jan for stamping. Hoping to get them back in 2-3 days so that we can fly on the 13th Jan. Relieved !!
Must say that the processing was carried out very promptly. From what I had read online, I was expecting that it would take at least a month or more.
But thanks to the US consulate guys, I can go ahead with my trip as planned.

[Ala Synthase]

similar situation

Good news, our numbers appeared on the '221g processing completed' list on 4th Jan 2013. We have submitted our passports on 7th Jan for stamping. Hoping to get them back in 2-3 days so that we can fly on the 13th Jan. Relieved !!
Must say that the processing was carried out very promptly. From what I had read online, I was expecting that it would take at least a month or more.
But thanks to the US consulate guys, I can go ahead with my trip as planned.

Hi DrK17,

I have a similar situation. I and my girlfriend had visited USA in 2011 for 2 months for electives. We were granted a Visa for 1 year and at the port of entry we were given 6 months duration to stay. We came back in 2 months. We applied as friends/classmates back then but was not asked about our relationship then.

Now, we want to apply again to go for a conference(poster presentation) and to give CS exams. I wanted to ask if we should apply together for interview or separately. We worked together and we have similar letters of job experience. Will there be greater chance if we applied together because last time we went together and came back in time? How should we proceed? We have not given any Steps. We had planned to give Step 1 in March but found that we were not ready yet so we had to extend our eligibility period twice. I know this makes it difficult but please advice.

Best regards,
Alan

- - - Updated - - -

Good news, our numbers appeared on the '221g processing completed' list on 4th Jan 2013. We have submitted our passports on 7th Jan for stamping. Hoping to get them back in 2-3 days so that we can fly on the 13th Jan. Relieved !!
Must say that the processing was carried out very promptly. From what I had read online, I was expecting that it would take at least a month or more.
But thanks to the US consulate guys, I can go ahead with my trip as planned.

Hi DrK17,

I have a similar situation. I and my girlfriend had visited USA in 2011 for 2 months for electives. We were granted a Visa for 1 year and at the port of entry we were given 6 months duration to stay. We came back in 2 months. We applied as friends/classmates back then but was not asked about our relationship then.

Now, we want to apply again to go for a conference(poster presentation) and to give CS exams. I wanted to ask if we should apply together for interview or separately. We worked together and we have similar letters of job experience. Will there be greater chance if we applied together because last time we went together and came back in time? How should we proceed? We have not given any Steps. We had planned to give Step 1 in March but found that we were not ready yet so we had to extend our eligibility period twice. I know this makes it difficult but please advice.

Best regards,
Alan

[DrK17]

Hi DrK17,

I have a similar situation. I and my girlfriend had visited USA in 2011 for 2 months for electives. We were granted a Visa for 1 year and at the port of entry we were given 6 months duration to stay. We came back in 2 months. We applied as friends/classmates back then but was not asked about our relationship then.

Now, we want to apply again to go for a conference(poster presentation) and to give CS exams. I wanted to ask if we should apply together for interview or separately. We worked together and we have similar letters of job experience. Will there be greater chance if we applied together because last time we went together and came back in time? How should we proceed? We have not given any Steps. We had planned to give Step 1 in March but found that we were not ready yet so we had to extend our eligibility period twice. I know this makes it difficult but please advice.

Best regards,
Alan

- - - Updated - - -

Hi there Alan,
Well, when we applied together, we were told that our chances of getting a VISA were very low and that we should apply separately.
But that was not possible for us and we applied together. Luckily, things worked out for us.
And, if I have to apply again, I will apply together.
Best of luck to you guys.

[nandith]

USMLE Step 2 CS + Externship

Hi there,

My wife is a doctor from India and has completed her USMLE Step 1 with a good score. She plans to give the Step 2 CK in June at Dubai (where we are based) and Step 2 CS in July.
She also has an externship with a US doctor for 1 month. She will also be doing a Kaplan Course in late June in the US.

We are applying for a B1/B2 visa for her. My questions are:
1) She has her brother in the US, is it OK to name him as the point of contact?
2) The documents that we have are:
a) Invitation Letters (ECFMG and the Doctor's for externship)
b) Payment details for the course and schedule
c) I will be bearing the cost of the trip, so a letter from me on the sponsorship
d) Accommodation booking details
e) Her CV
f) My 6 months bank statement
g) Itinerary details (flight, etc)
h) she had an old B1/B2 visa (1 year validity) details of the same
Is this enough? Or should I anticipate anything else?

I hear a lot in the forums that it is not wise to mention relations name in the DS160 form as well as to indicate doing externship.
I will be applying in the Dubai Consulate. So both of us are a little worried with the whole process.

Any help is much appreciated.
Thanks a ton!

[peace999]

Omission of immediate relatives living in US ( siblings, parents , spouse and children) in the form is gross misrepresentation and
should never be done.If visa is denied, one can always apply again but If caught with this kind of lie,
result is permanent inadmissibility which is very hard to overcome.

Purpose of visit in your wife's case should be to take step cs only. Kaplan course is not allowed under B1/B2 so do not make the mistake of
mentioning that.
Though people do get visa for CS based on one step but chances are better when you have both the steps with good scores.
Also, she should show an employed status in UAE if possible.
You should also send your proof of income (salary slip or tax returns) with the bank statement with her.
Accommodation , itinerary will not be necessary. Most important things will be her score reports , admit card for CS test
,proof of employment in UAE and proof of funds.

[DrK17]

Hi there,

My wife is a doctor from India and has completed her USMLE Step 1 with a good score. She plans to give the Step 2 CK in June at Dubai (where we are based) and Step 2 CS in July.
She also has an externship with a US doctor for 1 month. She will also be doing a Kaplan Course in late June in the US.

We are applying for a B1/B2 visa for her. My questions are:
1) She has her brother in the US, is it OK to name him as the point of contact?
2) The documents that we have are:
a) Invitation Letters (ECFMG and the Doctor's for externship)
b) Payment details for the course and schedule
c) I will be bearing the cost of the trip, so a letter from me on the sponsorship
d) Accommodation booking details
e) Her CV
f) My 6 months bank statement
g) Itinerary details (flight, etc)
h) she had an old B1/B2 visa (1 year validity) details of the same
Is this enough? Or should I anticipate anything else?

I hear a lot in the forums that it is not wise to mention relations name in the DS160 form as well as to indicate doing externship.
I will be applying in the Dubai Consulate. So both of us are a little worried with the whole process.

Any help is much appreciated.
Thanks a ton!

Hi there.
I was in a similar situation last year. I and my wife had to go to the US for a one month of externship and CS.
We had declared all the relevant the details in the DS160.
We got the visa (B1/B2) and there were no issues.
And the documents that you have prepared seem to be adequate.
But the most important documents are her current status of employment, financial details (you have to show them that she has adequate professional and familial ties and that she will return back home after her stated purpose of visit)
Just ask your wife to prepare the standard questions asked in a visa interview and be calm and clear.
That should be enough.
Wish you all the best !

[nandith]

Thank you.

Hi there.
I was in a similar situation last year. I and my wife had to go to the US for a one month of externship and CS.
We had declared all the relevant the details in the DS160.
We got the visa (B1/B2) and there were no issues.
And the documents that you have prepared seem to be adequate.
But the most important documents are her current status of employment, financial details (you have to show them that she has adequate professional and familial ties and that she will return back home after her stated purpose of visit)
Just ask your wife to prepare the standard questions asked in a visa interview and be calm and clear.
That should be enough.
Wish you all the best !

Thank you so much for your quick replies.

She has only 1 year of work experience (rural service) in india. Here she cannot work as she does not have enough work ex to apply for a Dubai Medical license.
The USMLE / ECFMG certification can help her get the Dubai license as well. That is one reason we have stated in the employment details reasons in the form DS160.
Of course, the actual reason is also to do Step 3 and then do a medical residency program. So I reckon I can't mention anything more than that there. Any suggestions?

And I guess I will put her brother as the point of contact.
Also, my salary slip and other things will also be added to the documents.