Any doctor travelling to the United States for higher medical studies from this year onwards will have to sign a bond with the government, promising to return to India after completing his / her studies.

Most of the students who are doing or planning to do USMLE in 2012 or onwards would certainly be affected by this new law. As per the new requirement, all students going for residency in USA would need a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Indian Government.

The Minister said, “This has been done to prevent doctors from leaving the country on the pretext of higher studies and eventually settling down there.”

“Any student travelling for further medical education to the US will have to give us a bond that he will return after completing the studies. In the last three years, 3,000 doctors went abroad for studies and didn’t return. If a student doesn’t return from the US, he won’t be allowed to practise there,” Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Monday.

From 2012 onwards, the United States is insisting on a government NOC from every student enrolling with an American institute. “No other country is asking for this NOC,” the Minister said. “If they don’t fulfil the bond obligation, we can write to the US to deny the student permission to practise.”

“Doctors’ organisations are opposing the course. I have no hesitation in saying that they have a vested interest to increase their practice,” Azad said.

This obligation is only for J1 visa applicants, all other visa categories are exempted from this law: Source