Conrad 30 and the December 11 Funding Deadline: What J-1 Physicians Need to Know

Conrad 30 now lasts only as long as the stopgap funding law, so a J-1 physician's waiver plan for 2027 runs through what Congress does by December 11.

Part of our guide to the J-1 visa.

Conrad 30 reauthorization now rides on the federal stopgap funding law. As of November 1, 2026, the Conrad State 30 program, the state-run J-1 waiver route for international medical graduates, is in effect, but only through December 11, 2026. The continuing resolution (CR) signed on September 2, 2026 (H.R. 6500, P.L. 119-103) carries it, and the Congressional Research Service says it runs "for the duration of the CR." Unless Congress passes a funding law or other extension that carries it by 2026-12-11, Conrad 30's authority lapses with the CR. Nothing has lapsed, and nobody can tell you yet whether anything will.

Status as of 2026-11-01

• In effect: Conrad 30, through 2026-12-11, under section 101(6) of P.L. 119-103.
• Scheduled: Congress returns on 2026-11-09; the CR ends on 2026-12-11, a Friday.
• Not done: the FY2027 Homeland Security bill (H.R. 9310) was reported 34-27 by House Appropriations on 2026-06-12, with no Senate markup and no funding deal found as of 11-01.
• Unknown: whether, and how, Congress extends the program. Check congress.gov for the outcome after 2026-12-11.

Does Conrad 30 expire in December 2026?

Conrad 30 has no permanent authorization; Congress has to keep extending it. As of November 1, 2026, its authority comes from the continuing resolution (P.L. 119-103), which funds the government through December 11, 2026. If Congress passes a new CR, full-year funding or a separate extension that carries it, the program continues; if not, it lapses with the CR after that date.

The date is written into the CR. Section 106 of the enrolled text of P.L. 119-103 keeps its funds and authority available "until whichever of the following first occurs," and the last option reads, in full: "(3) December 11, 2026." CRS's report on immigration legislation in the 119th Congress (R49032, 2026-07-14), written before the CR, says P.L. 119-75, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (Division I, section 5013), "authorized the Conrad State Program through the end of FY2026," which ended on September 30, 2026. The CR picked it up from there.

Is Conrad 30 reauthorization tied to the continuing resolution?

Yes, though the CR never says "Conrad 30." Section 101(6) continues the FY2026 Homeland Security act (P.L. 119-86) "and including sections 5013 through 5016 of division I of Public Law 119-75." Section 5013 is the Conrad extension. CRS's overview of the CR (R49353, 2026-09-17) says "These four sections extend various immigration-related programs for the duration of the CR," and adds that "Congress has frequently included these extensions in appropriations legislation." That is a habit, not a promise: the next funding law has to carry the extension again.

Common misconception, then correction. Some pages still in search results say the September 2026 CR left Conrad 30 out, so the program "expired September 30." It did not. Section 101(6) of P.L. 119-103 includes section 5013, and CRS confirms the program runs for the duration of the CR, to December 11, 2026 (checked 2026-11-01).

How the time limit works

The waiver sits in permanent law, INA 214(l), at 8 U.S.C. 1184(l): a state may request one only if it "would not cause the number of waivers allotted for that State for that fiscal year to exceed 30," the doctor must agree to start within 90 days and work at least three years, and the H-1B that follows is cap-exempt. The time limit sits in a statutory note: the 1994 amendment applies to doctors admitted in, or acquiring, J status "before Sept. 30, 2015, subject to extensions," and each extension moves that cutoff forward. In our reading, the cutoff turns on when you came into J-1 status, not when a state files.

What a lapse would mean for new Conrad 30 waiver recommendations

If the authority lapses, the first question is whether you fall inside the statute's cutoff. The last time it lapsed, USCIS drew that line by the date a doctor was admitted in, or acquired, J-1 status. Its Conrad 30 Waiver Program page still carries the alert posted when the October 1, 2025 shutdown began:

"Unless Congress extends the Conrad 30 waiver provision, foreign nationals who are admitted in or acquire J-1 nonimmigrant status on or after Oct. 1 will not be eligible for a waiver of the two-year foreign residence requirement under the Conrad 30 waiver program."

The same alert says the program "will remain available" to those who were admitted in, or acquired, J-1 status on or before September 30. That describes 2025, not December 2026, and USCIS had posted no December alert as of 2026-11-01. The cutoff after a December lapse would depend on the wording Congress used, which an immigration attorney should read against your dates.

Who the 2025 alert's wording reaches (as of 2026-11)

What a lapse in funding would touch

A lapse in Conrad's authority and a lapse in funding are separate events that share a date this year.

• USCIS: fee-funded USCIS kept processing during the 76-day DHS-only lapse from 2026-02-14 to 2026-04-30 (see CRS R49105 on DHS funding lapses).
• DOL: the current CR also funds Labor, so if funding lapses on 2026-12-12, DOL's foreign labor certification office, which certifies the LCA every H-1B petition needs, could stop, as practitioners report it did in past shutdowns. That is precedent, not a DOL announcement, but it is a timing risk for a Conrad H-1B.
• Consulates: consular work generally continues during a lapse.

Our December 11 shutdown explainer for USCIS, LCAs, E-Verify and visa interviews covers the funding side in depth.

A worked timeline: one FY2027 Conrad application

Take a hypothetical resident first admitted in J-1 status in June 2024, finishing training on 2027-06-30, with a three-year rural clinic contract and a state application sent in October 2026.

If Congress extends the program by December 11, nothing changes for this doctor. If it does not, a 2024 J-1 admission would fall before a December cutoff under the wording USCIS used in 2025 (our reading), but the state's and the Waiver Review Division's handling of the file could still slip, and if funding also lapses, so could DOL's LCA step. A holiday trip home with a J-1 return after December 11 is a question for an attorney.

Change one fact: a new first-year resident whose J-1 admission is set for June 2027. With no extension in place by then, that doctor is in the group the 2025 alert said "will not be eligible." The calendar is short, too. According to Ogletree's October 30 Beltway Buzz, both chambers return on November 9 "for a five-week lame-duck session," and "the top priority will be funding the federal government beyond December 11, 2026."

What can you do before December 11?

1. Confirm the date you were first admitted in, or changed to, J-1 status, using your DS-2019 and your I-94 record on CBP's I-94 website.
2. Ask your state's Conrad 30 coordinator at the state health department how it handles files not yet forwarded to the State Department by December 11.
3. Check that your Form DS-3035, J-1 Visa Waiver Review Application, has a case number in the State Department's J visa waiver online system.
4. Verify the practice site's HPSA, MUA or MUP designation with HRSA's shortage-area tools (HPSA Find, MUA Find or the address search).
5. Ask your employer's immigration attorney when the LCA will go to DOL and the Form I-129 to USCIS, and what the plan is if DOL processing pauses. From 2026-11-09, USCIS accepts only the 09/09/26 edition of the I-129.
6. Talk to an immigration attorney before booking travel that has you re-entering in J-1 status around or after December 11.
7. Watch Congress after 2026-11-09: when a funding bill moves, look for a provision that again extends the Conrad State Program.

Our guide to tracking a J-1 waiver case at each stage explains what each status means while you wait.

Can states still accept Conrad 30 applications?

Yes, as of November 1, 2026. The program is in effect through December 11, FY2027 began on October 1, and each state can request up to 30 waivers this fiscal year. USCIS notes that "each state has developed its own application rules and guidelines," so forms, application windows and priorities differ, and whether a state is still taking files depends on its window and open slots.

The federal steps are the same everywhere: state sponsorship and Form DS-3035, then the state sends the file to the Waiver Review Division, which notifies USCIS of its recommendation. After a favorable one, USCIS "will generally grant the waiver as long as there are no underlying concerns." The employer then files Form I-129 with the favorable recommendation letter to change you to H-1B, and a spouse or child files Form I-539. No official notice we found says how states or the Waiver Review Division would treat new files after a December lapse; ask your state coordinator.

For contracts, specialties and green-card paths, see our IMG physician guide to J-1 waivers and Conrad 30. If a Conrad slot is not realistic, the five ways to waive the 212(e) requirement covers the other bases; whether a lapse touches any of them is a question for an attorney.

What other immigration programs lapse with the CR?

Three other programs ride on the same provision and share the December 11 end date.

Programs carried by section 101(6) of P.L. 119-103 (as of 2026-11)

During the 2025 shutdown, E-Verify went offline on 2025-10-01 and was back by October 9, with a 2025-10-14 deadline to create cases for employees hired during the outage, according to one practitioner account.

What else is moving for J-1 physicians (as of 2026-11-01)

• Duration of status: the DHS final rule replacing D/S (91 FR 44976) has been blocked by a federal court since 2026-09-14; summary judgment is briefed and DHS's appeal is pending (docket). D/S still applies to J-1s while that order stands.
• J-1 program rules: the State Department's proposed rule on termination, extension and reinstatement (91 FR 48021) is proposed only; comments closed around 2026-09-28, and no final rule exists.
• Before training: see J-1 vs H-1B for researchers, doctors and postdocs for the 212(e) trade-off and cap-exempt university hospitals that sponsor H-1B.

Common mistakes

• Treating a shutdown and a Conrad lapse as one event. They share a date only because of how the extension was written; a funding law that does not carry the Conrad extension would fund the government and still leave Conrad lapsed.
• Reading USCIS's October 2025 alert as a statement about December 2026. It describes the last lapse; wait for USCIS's own notice and have an attorney read whatever Congress passes.
• Assuming a lapse wipes out every pending file, or touches none. The sources describe eligibility by J-1 admission date, not how pending state or State Department files move.
• Forgetting the H-1B half. USCIS says the contract must be to practice medicine "in H-1B nonimmigrant status for at least 3 years," which needs a certified LCA and an approved I-129, and that you must start within 90 days "of receipt of the waiver, not the date their J-1 visa expires."
• Changing employers or sites without counsel. Under 8 U.S.C. 1184(l)(2)(B), a doctor who fails to fulfill the contract is not eligible to apply for an immigrant visa, permanent residence or another change of status until spending an aggregate two years in the home country or country of last residence.

Frequently asked questions

Does Conrad 30 expire in December 2026?

As of November 1, 2026, Conrad 30 is in effect, but only through December 11, 2026. Its current authority comes from the continuing resolution signed on September 2, 2026 (P.L. 119-103), which ends that day. It lapses with the CR unless Congress passes funding or another extension that carries it by December 11.

Is Conrad 30 tied to the continuing resolution?

Yes. Section 101(6) of P.L. 119-103 includes section 5013 of Division I of P.L. 119-75, the Conrad State Program extension. CRS says that section and three others run "for the duration of the CR," which ends on December 11, 2026.

What happens to Conrad 30 if the government shuts down?

A funding lapse and the end of Conrad's authority are separate events that share a date this year. When the authority lapsed with the October 1, 2025 shutdown, USCIS said doctors admitted in or acquiring J-1 status on or after October 1 would not be eligible unless Congress extended it, while the program remained available to those admitted in or acquiring J-1 status on or before September 30. USCIS had posted no December 2026 alert as of November 1; ask an immigration attorney how a lapse would apply to you.

Can states still accept Conrad 30 applications?

Yes, as of November 1, 2026. The program is in effect through December 11, FY2027 began on October 1, and each state health department runs its own intake within the statute's cap of 30 waivers per state per fiscal year. Whether a state is still taking files depends on its own window and open slots, and no official notice says how files would be handled after a December lapse, so ask your state's Conrad coordinator before December 11.

What other immigration programs lapse with the CR?

Three others ride on the same CR provision and run through December 11, 2026: E-Verify, the non-minister religious worker special immigrant program and the supplemental H-2B visa authorization. Separately, if regular funding lapses, DOL processing of the LCAs that H-1B petitions need could stop, practitioners report, based on past shutdowns.

Sources

• Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027 (H.R. 6500, P.L. 119-103), enrolled text, sections 101(6) and 106
• CRS R49353, Overview of Continuing Appropriations for FY2027 (2026-09-17)
• CRS R49427, Department of Homeland Security Appropriations: FY2027 State of Play (2026-09-30)
• CRS R49032, Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 119th Congress (2026-07-14)
• CRS R49105, Lapses in DHS Appropriations: History and Plans (2026-08-07)
• USCIS, Conrad 30 Waiver Program
• 8 U.S.C. 1184, subsection (l) and effective-date notes
• U.S. Department of State, J visa waiver online system
• HRSA, Health Workforce Shortage Areas

How we checked this: we read the enrolled CR on govinfo.gov, CRS reports R49353, R49427, R49032 and R49105, the USCIS Conrad 30, I-129 and I-539 pages and 8 U.S.C. 1184 on 2026-11-01; shutdown precedents come from CRS and practitioner accounts of the 2025 and 2026 lapses, and we label them as precedent, not agency announcements.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice; your own DS-2019, I-94 and notices, your state Conrad coordinator and a licensed immigration attorney govern your case.

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