# Immigration Questions: Marrying a US citizen/practicing medicine here **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 17, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immigration-questions-marrying-a-us-citizen-practicing-medicine-here/599932 "2011-10-17T17:04:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immigration-questions-marrying-a-us-citizen-practicing-medicine-here/599932/21 "2011-10-17T21:42:58Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > The short version: somene who is granted U.S. permanent residence based on a marriage of less than two years’ duration to a U.S. citizen will be granted conditional permanent residence, which expires two years from the date it is granted. If I understand this correctly, if the permanent residence is granted after two years of marriage, it’s not conditional. Is that right? If so , plans an acquaintance of mine has has made make a little more sense. \*Long story shorter - acquaintance meets a Brazilian professional online. After limited in-person contact , they got married last month in the US. She returned to Brazil, supposedly because she can’t practice here without repeating her schooling. The plan is for him to move to Brazil after they have been married two years. And there’s no real explanation for the two year gap between marriage and living in the same country. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immigration-questions-marrying-a-us-citizen-practicing-medicine-here/599932/22 "2011-10-17T22:13:20Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > If I understand this correctly, if the permanent residence is granted after two years of marriage, it’s not conditional. Is that right? If so , plans an acquaintance of mine has has made make a little more sense. Yep, exactly. > [@](#): > > \*Long story shorter - acquaintance meets a Brazilian professional online. After limited in-person contact , they got married last month in the US. She returned to Brazil, supposedly because she can’t practice here without repeating her schooling. The plan is for him to move to Brazil after they have been married two years. And there’s no real explanation for the two year gap between marriage and living in the same country. But the part that doesn’t make sense about this is if she’s planning to move back to Brazil, what does U.S. immigration have to do with anything? ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immigration-questions-marrying-a-us-citizen-practicing-medicine-here/599932/23 "2011-10-17T23:37:00Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > But the part that doesn’t make sense about this is if she’s planning to move back to Brazil, what does U.S. immigration have to do with anything? That’s what she says , but I don’t believe she’s planning to stay in Brazil for more than two years. I think it’s a story to explain why she isn’t moving here to live with him now (and maybe to avoid him thinking it’s a green-card marriage). His only reason for waiting two years to move to Brazil is that she suggested it. I expect in 2 years she will move to the US. and get permanent residency. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immigration-questions-marrying-a-us-citizen-practicing-medicine-here/599932/24 "2011-10-18T00:07:08Z")
> [@irishgirl](#): > > Thoughts… > > The USA is one of the least attractive places for me to emigrate to, as a doctor working in Europe. > > Europeans have rights to freely move between member states, so one can work anywhere in the EU. > > Working in Australia and New Zealand doesn’t require re-training or residency, and the jobs there often have more attractive salaries than the UK and Ireland. > > For a consultant (attending) specialist doctor with a private practice in the UK or Ireland, working in the USA would mean: > > - a pay cut > - longer, anti-social hours > - negating years of training to do a residency > - a demotion in terms of responsibility and tasks > - sitting exams > > It might not be as attractive as you think. The one case I know of where a foreign doctor moved to the US and continued his practice there, it was because he married an American. It turned out to be a successful life choice for him. They’ve been married around 15 years now, with four children, and he’s a well respected physician in his community. ---
**Author:** ![Romeo\_and\_Whatsherface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@Romeo\_and\_Whatsherface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Romeo_and_Whatsherface)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immigration-questions-marrying-a-us-citizen-practicing-medicine-here/599932/25 "2011-10-18T01:15:43Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > The one case I know of where a foreign doctor moved to the US and continued his practice there, it was because he married an American. > > It turned out to be a successful life choice for him. They’ve been married around 15 years now, with four children, and he’s a well respected physician in his community. I bet they knew each other more than a week before getting engaged, though, right? Lots of interesting and helpful responses! Thanks! I have a Canadian friend who’s a nurse (in Canada) who e-mailed me this: “Being a non-American with family and friends who’ve worked in the US, I have to disagree with the idea that getting a green card as a British citizen and a trained doc is simple. It is far from it. It is MUCH MUCH MUCH easier to get any kind of status to work there if you’re married to a US citizen.” So go figure. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immigration-questions-marrying-a-us-citizen-practicing-medicine-here/599932/26 "2011-10-18T01:35:49Z")
> [@Romeo\_and\_Whatsherface](#): > > I bet they knew each other more than a week before getting engaged, though, right? > > Lots of interesting and helpful responses! Thanks! I have a Canadian friend who’s a nurse (in Canada) who e-mailed me this: “Being a non-American with family and friends who’ve worked in the US, I have to disagree with the idea that getting a green card as a British citizen and a trained doc is simple. It is far from it. It is MUCH MUCH MUCH easier to get any kind of status to work there if you’re married to a US citizen.” > > So go figure. I (at least) wasn’t arguing that it was “simple”, merely that it’s not the case that doctors in Ireland live in crushing poverty compared to their American colleagues and would therefore be happy to commit potentially career-ending felonies in order to secure a chance of working in the USA. The situation, as you’ve described it, does seem kinda weird, I suppose. And your friend is basically correct - if you are married to a US citizen, it is certainly easier to get a work permit (or green card) than if you’re not married to a US citizen. But I’m pretty sure that it’s not easier to get the appropriate licenses to practice medicine based on marriage to a citizen. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immigration-questions-marrying-a-us-citizen-practicing-medicine-here/599932/27 "2011-10-18T12:53:07Z")
What about Canadian MDs. The number of doctors who go to med school here (cheap) and then decamp to the US makes me think they are getting a free pass. Is this true? Of course, they will have to relicense, but that happened to my DIL when she moved from PA to NY and then again to MA. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immigration-questions-marrying-a-us-citizen-practicing-medicine-here/599932/28 "2011-10-18T13:00:05Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Does it depend on years of practice, A cardiologist or a surgeon of many years standing would be a different story from a newly minted GP. I imagine. No, the hoops are the same. Once you’ve got all your paperwork in order, you may be able to parlay your pre-existing experience into a better job than if you actually were a recent graduate, but the government doesn’t care. As for salary comparisons, remember that -for- isn’t necessarily the best way to compare. If the salary is twice as much, but the cost of living is thrice as much, then the % left for discretionary expenses is lower. Also, the way “total compensation” is reported in different countries varies; a Spanish employer wouldn’t think of adding SS to “total compensation”, whereas an American one will include any group insurance. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immigration-questions-marrying-a-us-citizen-practicing-medicine-here/599932/29 "2011-10-18T14:09:41Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > No, the hoops are the same. Once you’ve got all your paperwork in order, you may be able to parlay your pre-existing experience into a better job than if you actually were a recent graduate, but the government doesn’t care. > As for salary comparisons, remember that -for- isn’t necessarily the best way to compare. If the salary is twice as much, but the cost of living is thrice as much, then the % left for discretionary expenses is lower. Also, the way “total compensation” is reported in different countries varies; a Spanish employer wouldn’t think of adding SS to “total compensation”, whereas an American one will include any group insurance. Thanks. But, I know one doctor who trained and practiced in Pakistan and he had about 10 years plus standing. When his wife who was a UN worker was posted to NY, he went with her. They were there near a decade and he worked as a consultant cardiologist throughout. I asked how much of an effort was it, and he said it was fairly simple, just filing some paperwork and an interview. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immigration-questions-marrying-a-us-citizen-practicing-medicine-here/599932/30 "2011-10-18T14:58:26Z")
Maybe the “consultant” part means that he was never the doctor in charge, though. There’s a lot of engineering-related jobs I can undertake in the US without certification, but I can’t be the engineer in charge of a building project (and many other jobs) without it. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immigration-questions-marrying-a-us-citizen-practicing-medicine-here/599932/31 "2011-10-18T17:42:54Z")
> [@Romeo\_and\_Whatsherface](#): > > I bet they knew each other more than a week before getting engaged, though, right? Yes, but not as long as you might think. From the time they met until their wedding was only six months. And as I said, it’s been a very successful marriage. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immigration-questions-marrying-a-us-citizen-practicing-medicine-here/599932.md?page=1)