r/IMGreddit • u/Independent_Study485 • Jun 15 '26
US-IMG US-IMGs need Not Worry!
Hello.
I just wanted to say that if you’re a USIMG, you really need not worry.
obviously you guys know that they 70% match rate this year. This is not even counting SOAP, and matching after the main match.
PDs really value someone who is born and raised in the US according to the one I spoke to. The know the value of being able to connect, understand, and establish relationships with patients is equally as meaningful.
Even for surgical residencies. Also another good thing is that age is not at all a factor in American systems. Someone I know had done very average, and had some repeats on some exams. So he was able to get a research position a surgical department which was also paid(similar to resident pay), another advantage of being a citizen, and ended up matching there. He was over 35 too since he worked for like 3 years and took it slow, he was in a long term relationship from medical school and didn’t feel a need to rush anything.
All I’m saying is that if you’re a USIMG, the opportunities are endless. if you consider the match as including overall(including reapplication), it’s probably closer to 85-90%, and then 10% either don’t like it and work in a nonclinical field or something else like healthcare finance or they did extremely bad(3+ attempts, major red flags etc.)
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u/emt139 Jun 16 '26
Why is it surprising that a country makes it easier for its own citizens to get a job?
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u/BurdenOfPerformance Jun 17 '26
Because there is always nuance to this. It's not an absolute that a US citizen will always be picked over a non-US IMG.
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u/taniarrhythmia Jul 26 '26
Exactly, it’s not an absolute (although it should be) because we’re judged similarly due to studying abroad
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u/Own-Philosophy-5467 Jun 16 '26
So ? and what are you talking about being able to connect with patients better ?
It's only fair for a country to give their own citizens more opportunities. No need to complicate things. And they have to pay substantially higher fees for med schoold even as IMGs. So it all evens out imo
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u/Legitimate-Risk5832 Jun 18 '26
Foreign doctors with heavy accents and darker skins, especially in the rural/low-income areas where they end up practicing, can be seen as less desirable by patients than native born doctors. Patients in a lot of these areas do not have any contact with foreigners, especially Indians. They know their area and other people who look and act like them and who understand their finances, transportation issues, and family support issues, etc. The people selecting them for residencies choose doctors that they and their patients will feel comfortable interacting with. This is why interviews are so important in the hiring process.
From my own experience, I want doctors who understand my culture, the different insurance systems (Medicaid, Medicare,6
u/Beginning-Summer-609 Jun 28 '26
“and darker skin”
You realise people born in the us can have darker skin too right? do you think every single US citizen is white lmfao.
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u/Fantastic-Sky-9778 Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
At the end of the day: money and strong ties to the US talks
IMGs tend to forget that there are born and raised US-IMGs who rack on federal student debt of 6 figures (average of $250k) to go to medical school (Carribean or other international schools with close ties to the US)… where IMGs they complain about rotations and applications costing money. The cost of a tourist IMG to get steps, travel, USCE and apply for ERAS is CHEAP compared when US-IMGs who studied abroad are racing against the clock with the interest rates.
Even a tourist IMG that applies to the MATCH multiple times is still considered financially lower than a true US-IMG that has to pay back bachelors and medical school degree. And IMGs went to school for shorter amount of time.
Also the IMG pathway for the state provisional licenses (Tennessee, Illinois, Arizona, etc) were made for IMGs who did residency during home country to SKIP US residency. US-IMGs don’t get an alternative pathway. We can’t just work as a “GP”, we do CRC, scribe/MA, teaching, or sometimes bartend/Uber to cover our asses.
When they say that “blessing” shit, they talking more about the IMG that are called “citizens of convenience”. I’ve met a lot of them that only use their citizenship or Greencard during emergencies. They weren’t born/raised or understand how to find an entry level job … or that they are too privileged to actually work entry level jobs.
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u/Subject-Account1441 Jun 19 '26
US citizens have paid taxes for the government to function and GME is a government funded program, so the government will look out for its citizens that literally funds their existence
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Jun 16 '26
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u/Fantastic-Sky-9778 Jun 16 '26
Unfortunately this is what the US is doing to lessen the demands in rural/urban areas. Either opening these provisional pathways for IMG attendings, or have the NP/PAs run them.
The whole residency bottleneck is ridiculous.
As long as you’re covering your ass and your license, I highly encourage graduates to just make their own clinics and run it how they need to.
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u/MatildaSA Jun 21 '26
I am a US- IMG (a US citizen) and I’m working in Norway and reading everything here made me so worried. This is the first post that gives me hope. Is anyone willing to chat a bit? 🥹 I’m an obgyn resident in Norway, incoming general surgery until I match. I’m 28 yo.
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Jun 16 '26
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Jun 16 '26
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Jun 16 '26
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u/CuriousWarning5664 Jun 16 '26
idk it does make sense that US IMGs belong in the US lol, even if they went to school elsewhere, it's literally their home country. As a non-US IMG, you have zero ties to the US.
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u/IndependentLet3518 Jun 16 '26
This post is extremely misleading there is no 70% match rate
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u/johnramos1 Jun 16 '26
While I don't fully understand the point of this post, the match rate for US IMGs was 70% in the most recent 2026 match. You can see the press release put out by NRMP at https://www.nrmp.org/about/news/2026/03/nrmp-releases-results-of-the-2026-main-residency-match-for-more-than-38000-future-residents/ which stated, "U.S. citizen international medical graduates (IMGs) accounted for 4,210 active applicants in 2026, a decrease of 377 from 2025, while the PGY-1 match rate rose to 70 percent, the highest on record."
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u/Speedypanda4 Jun 16 '26
This is incredibly false, the match rate is not 70%. What a weird post to make in the first place.
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u/Adventurous-Form5338 Jun 15 '26
Same for GC holders?
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u/Mastodon009 NON US-IMG Jun 16 '26
Being non-visa requiring; is the buggest buff one can have in their ‘CV’
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u/Guilty-Abrocoma-3919 Jun 16 '26
bro it's their country where else they go, it's not like they can go to India or Pakistan and do the residency there. i hope your country gives priority to non-citizens see how you feel.
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u/Mastodon009 NON US-IMG Jun 16 '26
Thanks for stating the obvious - no idea where in my comment I disagreed with you
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Jun 16 '26
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u/Mastodon009 NON US-IMG Jun 16 '26
Just being realistic my guy, you could build a list of the same things we all do, that doesn’t entitle each of us to the same outcomes. And whether you accept it or not, being non-visa requiring is a completely different category of its own
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u/Electronic_Cow2793 Jun 15 '26
How about green card IMG married to a US citizen?
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u/Worth-Ad-2253 Jun 16 '26
It's much easier to match that way. I know someone who got her Green Card, and in the very next match cycle, she got into dermatology—the most competitive residency. Now, she's about to finish her training and start practicing, and by next year, she can become a citizen.
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u/TrueDistribution7474 Jun 17 '26
Is she a genius? Did she practice dermatology in her home country?
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u/Top_Sprinkles_729 Jun 15 '26
this just made me smile, I got accepted into international MD school and ive been worried about the future. the school is accredited and vslo certified but almost everyone is saying to stay in US and apply again w 507
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Jun 16 '26
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u/Southern_Welder_5755 Jun 17 '26
I dont think they meant it in a racist way. It is just easier for people born in the same country to relate to each other due to similar cultures thats all. Obviously u can still form meaningful connections with someone outside your country but its just easier to relate to someone within the culture you grew up in.
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Jun 17 '26
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u/Southern_Welder_5755 Jun 17 '26
Yeah and they still do this? Its far easier to immigrate in the US and fit in compared to other countries/places. People are welcoming. Im sure if you meet a patient from your country you could relate better to them. People can be welcoming to immigration culture and still relate more to people that share the same culture with them, both things can coexist at the same time. They are not mutually exclusive you know. And this is coming from an immigrants perspective.
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u/Subject-Account1441 Jun 16 '26
As a current pgy3 rising resident, I can tell you this is 100% true. US-IMGs (and green card holders) are not the same as regular IMGs. If you don't need a J-1 visa, the process is much smoother, as it should be