To extend for 5 years the program relating to waiver of the foreign country residence requirement with respect to international medical graduates, and for other purposes.

(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on September 26, 2008. The summary of that version is repeated here.) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994 to extend the J-1 visa waiver (Conrad state 30/medical services in underserved areas) program through March 6, 2009. Increases from five to 10 the number of alien physicians under such program who may serve in state facilities that treat patients from, but that may not be located in, a medically underserved area. (Subject to the overall limit of 30 participants per state.) Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) federal programs waiving the two-year foreign residence requirement for physicians are generally designed to promote the delivery of critically needed medical services to people in the United States lacking adequate access to physician care; and (2) when determining the qualification of a location for designation as a health professional shortage area, the Secretary of Health and Human Services should consider the needs of vulnerable populations in low-income and impoverished communities, communities with high infant mortality rates, and communities exhibiting other signs of a lack of necessary physician services.

Congressional Research Service · 2008-10-08