PCO: J-1 Waiver | South Carolina Department of Public Health

Updated: Dec. 1, 2025

Conrad 30 Program

The Conrad 30 Waiver program allows J-1 visa holders who are medical doctors to apply for a waiver of the 2-year residence requirement from the Department of State upon completion of the J-1 exchange visitor program.

Please see section 214(l) of the Immigration Nationality Act (INA) for additional information.

The program is designed to improve access to the shortage of qualified medical doctors addressing health disparities within federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas. Each state is allowed to sponsor up to 30 physicians each year. In South Carolina, that sponsorship is administered through the Department of Public Health (DPH) Primary Care Office (PCO).

Slot Reservation Timeframe

South Carolina Conrad 30 slot reservation for the following federal fiscal year begins the preceding July 1. For example, the 2026 federal fiscal year is Oct. 1, 2025 - Sept. 30, 2026, so the slot reservation for the 2026 federal fiscal year began July 1, 2025.

Application Documentation

DPH does not require any documentation beyond what is mandated by USCIS. The following items have been required by USCIS and are subject to change. Please refer to USCIS for clarification on eligibility and requirements.

Letter from Employer
Evidence of Shortage Designation Status: a copy of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) 'Find Shortage Areas by Address' query result for each practice site location
Copy of the Employment Contract and all addenda
Copy of all applicable USDOS Forms DS-2019/I-94
Physician curriculum vitae
Exchange Visitor Attestation/Foreign Medical Graduate Statement
Form G-28/Letter of Representation
Copy of USDOS Form DS-3035 - include all bar code pages, supplemental pages, and the statement of reason as received back from the submission to USDOS.

Applications should not be sent unless a slot has been confirmed or reserved in advance by emailing neelyk@dph.sc.gov.

Additional Programs that Process J-1 Waivers

For physicians in a primary care (family medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, obstetrics & gynecology) or general psychiatry specialty, a J-1 waiver may be obtained through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS is able to grant an unlimited number of waivers available for candidates that will be serving in HPSAs with a score of 7 or higher and have completed their primary care or psychiatric residency training programs no more than 12 months before the date of commencement of employment under the contract. Please refer to HHS for more information: Clinical Care Waiver Request Requirements (Supplement B).

Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC) processes J-1 waiver requests for physicians practicing at worksites within their footprint, including specific areas of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and all of Florida.

South Carolina’s SCRC counties include Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Florence, Georgetown, Greenwood, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lee, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, McCormick, Newberry, Orangeburg, Richland, Saluda, Sumter, Williamsburg, and York.

Map of economic status change in SC counties FY2025 - by SCRC

The physicians must provide direct patient care in their specialty fields for at least 40 hours a week or 160 hours per month, for at least three years in a medically under-served area. The SCRC program accepts waiver requests for primary care physicians and medical specialists that provide care to those in need, including Medicaid and Medicare recipients.

All paperwork needs to be sent directly to the SCRC program, including affidavits, agreements, applications, and compliance guidelines. For a letter of support from the primary care office, please email neelyk@dph.sc.gov.

Please refer to the SCRC for additional information.

Appalachian Region Commission (ARC) will consider recommending a waiver of the foreign residence requirement on behalf of physicians holding J-1 Visas in health professional shortage areas in an Appalachian community to address the region’s health care needs. Refer to ARC’s website for more information.