Mayo Clinic’s Legal Department provides comprehensive immigration services for our community of international students, scholars, residents, and fellows. We welcome you to our immigration-focused information designed to provide you with an understanding of basic visa requirements and an increased awareness of immigration resources and benefits that are available to you during your time at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.

Our Legal Department determines the appropriate visa classification for you based upon the category to which you have been appointed. We invite you to use the guide below to find helpful immigration information that is relevant to your personal appointment category. If you are uncertain about the appointment category to which you have been appointed, contact the Mayo Clinic program coordinator assigned to your program.

Mayo Clinic has more than 400 programs across every medical, surgical, and health sciences specialty. For more information, see our academic programs.

Visiting clinicians

Visiting clinicians come to Mayo Clinic primarily to observe in our world-renown clinical setting, and learn through lecture-style participation about innovative approaches to patient care. The professor category allows participants to teach, lecture, observe, or consult.

If appointed as a visiting clinician for more than 90 days, Mayo Clinic may sponsor you as a J-1. If the appointment is less than 90 days, you may enter the U.S. in B-1 status.

Visa minimum: Three weeks  
Visa maximum: Five years 

Visiting graduate students

If you are appointed as a visiting graduate student, Mayo Clinic would most likely sponsor you using the J-1 Research Scholar category.

If you are appointed to one of these categories, you may conduct research, observe, or consult in connection with a research project. Occasionally, research scholars may teach or lecture.

The Visiting Graduate Student appointment is a long-term research experience to allow the student the opportunity to complete the research portion of their degree requirements at Mayo Clinic. The program is a minimum of six months and a maximum of five years.

Post-Baccalaureate Research Education (PREP) students

If you are appointed as a Post-Baccalaureate Research Education (PREP) student, Mayo Clinic would most likely sponsor you using the J-1 Research Scholar category.

If you are appointed to one of these categories, you may conduct research, observe, or consult in connection with a research project. Occasionally, research scholars may teach or lecture.

For more information specific to the PREP program, see our program description.

Visa minimum: Three weeks 
Visa maximum: Five years

Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences

Admission to Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences is generally open to U.S. workers. Therefore, visa sponsorship is generally not available. Certain Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences programs have been granted approval to admit non-U.S. workers, in which case the program-specific website will state such on its admissions page.

U.S. worker refers to those who are authorized to work in the United States, including:

• U.S. citizens
• U.S. nationals
• Lawful permanent residents
• Asylees and refugees

Clinical residents and fellows

Our residents and fellows are critical to the mission of Mayo Clinic as an academic medical center. The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) is authorized by the U.S. Department of State to sponsor all J-1 exchange visitor physicians who participate in clinical training programs or advanced research programs (involving primarily observation, consultation, teaching, or research).

Mayo Clinic may also sponsor clinical residents and fellows in H-1B status if all eligibility requirements are met.

On rare occasions, advanced fellows may be sponsored for O-1 status, after appropriate approval by leadership.

Students

You may be sponsored using the F-1 visa classification provided that you are pursuing a "full course of study" leading to an academic degree.