Michigan law bars some IMGs from driving

Imagine being allowed to practice medicine but not being allowed to drive. That's what some Michigan physicians are facing.

Under a new state law that took effect Jan. 22, doctors in Michigan on a visa cannot get a new driver's license. That's because a law intended to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining a driver's license also prevents legal residents on student or work visas, including physicians, from getting a license.

Previously, illegal immigrants could get a license in the state. But the new measure permits only U.S. citizens and permanent residents to obtain one. That means doctors and others in the state on J-1, H1-B and similar visas no longer can get a license.

The law impacts those seeking a new license, though rule changes for renewals are anticipated soon.

The Michigan State Medical Society wants the law amended. MSMA President AppaRao Mukkamala, MD, said the measure could have a negative impact on Michigan's resident programs because many residents are international medical graduates here on visas.

"We're fighting this one," he said. "It will affect our physicians in training, and most of the residents in my part of the state are on J-1s or H1-Bs."

Data from the American Medical Association show that more than 1,600 of Michigan's 4,300 residents were IMGs in 2006-07. Because the law applies to people seeking a new license, first-year IMGs are the most likely group of doctors to be impacted.

About 400 of the roughly 1,000 first-year residents starting in July will be IMGs. Some will be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, but others will be here on J-1 or H1-B visas.

Michigan recognizes some foreign driver's licenses as valid, such as those from India, which has the largest number of IMGs in the U.S. But it does not recognize licenses from Pakistan, ranked fourth in IMGs.

As chair of the radiology department at Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Dr. Mukkamala has interviewed residency candidates and fielded questions on the law. He is concerned that IMG applicants may put Michigan lower on their priority list for the National Resident Match Program.

But efforts are under way to change the law. Two bills were introduced Dec. 5, 2007, that would allow legal visa holders to get licenses, according to a spokeswoman for Michigan's secretary of state. Neither bill was scheduled for vote at press time.