5/21/2013 To: The Department of Professional Education, John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, Illinois. There have been unforeseen delays in the State License approvals, which have not yet been received as of 5/21/2013. Due to budget cuts, the State Board became short-staffed this very season, so it is most unfortunate, both for us and the Internal Medicine Program of the said hospital that the Licenses have been delayed. One of the main reasons why we ranked the said program high on our NRMP Rank Order Lists, was that it offered H1 Visa sponsorship. This is one of the top most priorities for international medical graduates, and such graduates give the USMLE Step 3 exam far earlier than it is needed (more than one year in advance on many occasions) to benefit by obtaining this visa. This petition respectfully aims to express our desires for the H1 Visa. We would be willing to forego our vacation time, or even graduate late; it is clear that this may affect our future fellowship or job-seeking prospects in a negative way, however the importance of H1 for us can not be underestimated. There could be other ways too, such as sponsoring a one year J1 and giving H1 after the first year. The very large number of residents working at the hospital would be able to provide cover for the handful few who have filed for H1 and signed this petition below; this has happened in the past as well since not all interns have been able to join the program on time every year. Please note that we are only requesting our desire to obtain an H1, and that the final decision lies with the The Department of Professional Education of John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County. However, we believe that this letter is a modest try to convince the said authorities to let them continue filing for the H1 type of Visa. Sincerely, The Internal Medicine Class, Joining in 2013, John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County.