# Intealth (ECFMG) and residency dismissal: a guide for IMGs Practical Guidance · Published 2026-10-15 · Resident Help **Short answer:** Intealth, formerly ECFMG, certifies international medical graduates and sponsors J-1 physicians. For a J-1 resident, Intealth treats a resignation in lieu of termination like a termination: either can end eligibility for future sponsorship, and if the SEVIS record is terminated, the usual 30-day grace period does not apply. Intealth does not intervene in disputes with your program, so the record is made inside your program. Get immigration counsel the day you receive notice, and do not resign until counsel has reviewed it. Every international medical graduate (IMG) reaches residency through Intealth. Graduates of Caribbean and other non-U.S. medical schools are certified by ECFMG, now a division of Intealth, and residents on a J-1 visa are sponsored by Intealth as well. When a program moves toward dismissal, those relationships start to matter. If you are an IMG and something has started, [start a confidential intake](https://www.residenthelp.org/intake) and tell us your visa type. ## Intealth and ECFMG are the same organization ECFMG now operates as a division of Intealth. The ECFMG name is still on the certificate and on many Intealth pages, so you will see both. They refer to the same organization. ## If you are on a J-1: the clock Intealth controls Intealth sponsors J-1 physicians in graduate medical education. Its sponsor rules say: - A termination for a disciplinary action, or for a significant issue with professionalism, medical knowledge, or patient care, can make you ineligible for future sponsorship. It can also lead to termination of your SEVIS record. - If the SEVIS record is terminated, the usual 30-day grace period does not apply, and unlawful presence begins. Unlawful presence can bar a return to the United States for years. - J-1 physicians who resign in lieu of termination may not be eligible for future sponsorship either. That last rule changes the usual advice about resignation offers. A resignation offered as the quiet way out may not protect your sponsorship. See [resign or be dismissed: the first 48 hours](https://www.residenthelp.org/blog/resign-or-be-dismissed-residency-first-48-hours) and [dismissed on a J-1 or H-1B visa](https://www.residenthelp.org/blog/dismissed-from-residency-on-a-visa). ## What Intealth will not do Intealth defers to the host institution on disciplinary actions and does not intervene in institutional contractual issues. It expects programs to follow the ACGME requirements for written notice and due process. So the record that decides your case is made inside your program. Use the due process you are owed. See [how to appeal a residency dismissal](https://www.residenthelp.org/blog/how-to-appeal-residency-dismissal). ## What you must report J-1 physicians must notify Intealth of proposed changes to their training, including leaves of absence, remediation, and termination. Report through MyIntealth and keep a copy. When the event is disputed, have counsel review the wording before you send it. What you report becomes part of the record. ## ECFMG Certification and your next application Every IMG needs ECFMG Certification, including U.S. citizens who graduated abroad. Intealth's irregular behavior policy covers any action that could subvert its certification or other processes, including false information or documents. A finding can lead to revocation of an ECFMG Certificate and notice to residency program directors. If anything in your matter touches the accuracy of a document or an application, raise it with counsel early. When you apply again, ERAS Support Services at ECFMG handles IMG applications: it issues ERAS tokens and transmits your supporting documents and ECFMG Status Report to programs. How your separation is described in your file follows you there. See [get your file before you leave](https://www.residenthelp.org/blog/get-your-residency-file-before-you-leave) and [a wrong training verification](https://www.residenthelp.org/blog/wrong-residency-training-verification). ## Day one, for an IMG 1. If you are on a visa, contact an immigration lawyer the same day. 2. Do not resign, accept an election, or sign anything until immigration counsel and your other counsel have reviewed it. 3. Ask your program in writing how and when it will report the action to Intealth. 4. Calendar every internal deadline. See [deadlines you cannot miss](https://www.residenthelp.org/blog/deadlines-after-residency-dismissal). 5. Get your file while you still have access. This page is general information. Immigration rules are specific to each visa and each case. Resident Help does not give immigration advice; we will help you find counsel who does. ## If this is happening to you Tell us what you have received, your visa type, and your deadlines. We will review your situation confidentially and point you to the right next step: [start a confidential intake](https://www.residenthelp.org/intake). Resident Help is not a law firm, and submitting an intake does not create an attorney-client relationship. If your situation needs a lawyer, we will tell you and help you find one. ## Common questions ### Is Intealth the same as ECFMG? ECFMG is now a division of Intealth. The ECFMG name is still used for ECFMG Certification and on many Intealth pages, so you will see both names for the same organization. ### What happens to my J-1 if I am dismissed from residency? Intealth sponsors J-1 physicians. A termination for a disciplinary action, or for a significant issue with professionalism, medical knowledge, or patient care, can end eligibility for future sponsorship and can lead to SEVIS termination. If the SEVIS record is terminated, the usual 30-day grace period does not apply. Talk to an immigration lawyer the day you receive notice. ### If I resign instead of being dismissed, does Intealth treat it differently? Not necessarily. Intealth says J-1 physicians who resign in lieu of termination may not be eligible for future sponsorship, as with termination. Do not resign to protect your visa until immigration counsel has reviewed the terms. ### Will Intealth step in if my program treats me unfairly? No. Intealth defers to the host institution on disciplinary actions and does not intervene in institutional contractual issues. Your program's own due process policy is where you challenge the decision. ### Do I have to tell Intealth about remediation or a leave? J-1 physicians must notify Intealth of proposed changes to their training, including leaves of absence, remediation, and termination. Report through MyIntealth and keep a copy of what you send. ## Sources - Intealth, About Us, https://www.intealth.org/about-us/ - ECFMG, a division of Intealth, EVSP: SEVIS Termination and Sponsor Rules, https://www.ecfmg.org/evsp/during-sevis-termination.html - ECFMG, a division of Intealth, EVSP: Maintaining J-1 Visa Status, https://www.ecfmg.org/evsp/during-maintaining-sponsorship.html - Intealth, Information Sheet for Initial Intealth-Sponsored J-1 Exchange Visitor Physicians, https://www.ecfmg.org/evsp/forms/initial-infosheet.pdf - ECFMG, a division of Intealth, ERAS Support Services, https://www.ecfmg.org/eras/ - ECFMG, Policies and Procedures Regarding Irregular Behavior, https://ecfmg.org/resources/irregular-behavior.html This post is general information and not legal advice. Institutional policies and board rules change, so confirm the version in force on your dates. ## Related guidance - [Dismissed from residency on a J-1 or H-1B visa: the clocks that start](https://www.residenthelp.org/blog/dismissed-from-residency-on-a-visa): For an international medical graduate on a sponsored visa, dismissal starts more than one clock. Immigration status can depend on the training position itself. Bring in immigration counsel on the day you receive notice, not after the appeal. - [Resign or be dismissed: what to do in the first 48 hours](https://www.residenthelp.org/blog/resign-or-be-dismissed-residency-first-48-hours): Programs often present resignation and dismissal as the only two choices, with a deadline measured in hours. The deadline is usually negotiable, the choices are usually not the only ones, and what you do before it expires shapes everything that follows. - [How to appeal a residency dismissal, step by step](https://www.residenthelp.org/blog/how-to-appeal-residency-dismissal): Appealing a dismissal from residency runs on your institution's own due process policy. The steps repeat across programs: preserve the deadline, get the record, build the case on the program's own documents, and plan for the outcome before the decision. - [Deadlines you cannot miss after a residency dismissal or adverse action](https://www.residenthelp.org/blog/deadlines-after-residency-dismissal): An adverse action in residency starts several clocks at once. The internal ones are short and usually negotiable. The outside ones are long but unforgiving. This is the list, with what each clock runs from and which ones can be extended. - [Get your residency file before you leave: a checklist](https://www.residenthelp.org/blog/get-your-residency-file-before-you-leave): The day you lose system access is the day your record becomes the program's record. This checklist lists what to download and request while you still can, and the documents that most often decide outcomes. - [Your residency program's training verification is wrong. What can you do?](https://www.residenthelp.org/blog/wrong-residency-training-verification): Training verifications follow a resident to every application. When one is wrong or incomplete after you have left, a negotiated factual verification is usually more realistic than an emergency court order. Here is how to approach it. ## Start here - [Questions residents ask, answered](https://www.residenthelp.org/faq): Short answers to every question our guides cover, from resignation offers and appeal deadlines to accommodations and visas. - [Know your rights as a resident](https://www.residenthelp.org/rights): What your program owes you under ACGME requirements, what federal law protects, and the first 72 hours. - [Court decisions on resident dismissal and probation](https://www.residenthelp.org/cases): Published opinions every resident should know before a probation, dismissal, or forced-leave decision. - [The free Residency Record](https://www.residenthelp.org/record): The documents every resident should keep, the dates that decide non-renewal, and a private place for both. --- Source: https://www.residenthelp.org/blog/intealth-ecfmg-residency-dismissal-img Publisher: Resident Help (https://www.residenthelp.org) This website provides general information and is not legal advice. 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