J-1 Exchange Visitor Five Points Letter
Five-Point Letter for J-1 Program
No Clinical Appointments or Patient Care/Contact:
UT Southwestern Medical Center is designated to sponsor foreign medical graduates (MD holders) in J-1 status for the following purposes:
- Observation
- Consultation
- Teaching
- Research
However, UTSW is not authorized to sponsor foreign medical graduates for the primary purpose of clinical care. Those who wish to join UTSW in a Graduate Medical Training residency or fellowship program in J-1 status must be sponsored by The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). Individuals seeking to provide clinical care outside of a Graduate Medical Training program should consult their department's immigration specialist to determine whether they may qualify for an alternative immigration status sponsored by UTSW, as J-1 sponsorship will not be appropriate in these cases.
Incidental Patient Contact for Foreign Medical Graduates (MD holders):
When submitting a J-1 sponsorship request to the Office of International Affairs (OIA), departments will be prompted to indicate whether the proposed appointment will involve incidental patient contact. If incidental patient contact will occur and the prospective J-1 visitor holds an MD degree, a five-point letter must be included with the J-1 sponsorship request. Please refer to the sample five-point letter for detailed instructions: [insert link here]. Please do not change the wording of the letter, as the wording of the five-point letter is prescribed by federal regulations.
By completing and submitting the five-point letter, the department will be certifying the following:
The appointment is predominantly for research, teaching, consultation, and observation and any patient contact will be incidental to the primary purpose of the appointment.
Any incidental patient contact involving the J-1 visitor will be under the direct supervision of a U.S. physician who is licensed to practice medicine in the State of Texas.
The J-1 visitor will not be given final responsibility for the diagnosis and treatment of patients.
All activities will conform fully with the State licensing requirements and regulations for medical and health care professions in Texas.
If a department is unable to certify all five requirements, the J-1 category is not appropriate for the prospective candidate. The department should consult its immigration specialist to determine whether the candidate may qualify for another immigration status sponsored by UTSW.
Incidental Patient Contact for PhD holders:
An exchange visitor in the Research Scholar category under 22 CFR 62.20 may have incidental patient contact only if they are a foreign medical graduate. Therefore, J-1 Research Scholars who hold a PhD, but are not foreign medical graduates (i.e., do not hold an MD), are not permitted to have incidental patient contact.