The Department of Homeland Security has quietly changed its travel ban policy, freeing foreign physicians from visa renewal limbo, The New York Times reported May 3.
Here’s what to know:
1. Last week, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updated its website to indicate physicians were no longer subject to the processing hold. The change came without a formal announcement. DHS told the Times that the agency will resume processing visas and work permits for medical physicians.
2. The travel ban policy froze decisions on visa extensions, work permits and green cards for citizens of 39 countries. Although the travel ban did not apply to visa holders in the U.S., USCIS paused visa renewals and updates for people from those countries. This subjected more than 10,000 physician H-1B visa holders and 17,000 with J-1s, along with thousands of nurses, lab techs and other healthcare workers to the visa pause. Many affected physicians were put on administrative leave by hospitals while awaiting their renewal.
3. In April, more than 20 physician associations sent a letter to DHS expressing “urgent concern” about barriers preventing “qualified, vetted physicians” from entering and staying in the U.S., the Times said. The letter also called for an exemption to the policy, as well as expedited processing of physician cases.
4. Some foreign physicians have waited months for an update on their application, even after their hospital paid a $2,965 fee to fast-track their applications so they would receive it in two weeks. Because most medical residencies begin or end in the summer, the limbo made some foreign physicians miss fellowship deadlines, forgo jobs or be sidelined from their current position while awaiting renewal. Foreign-trained physicians are rallying against the delays and dozens of lawsuits have been filed in federal court.
5. Internationally trained individuals account for a significant portion of the U.S. healthcare workforce. Immigrants account for 27% of physicians and surgeons, 22% of nursing assistants and 16% of registered nurses in the U.S., according to KFF. Many of these foreign clinicians work in rural and underserved areas, while nearly 21 million Americans live in areas where foreign-trained physicians account for at least half of all physicians, according to the American Medical Association.
6. In September, President Donald Trump raised the H-1B visa application fee to $100,000, up from approximately $3,500. National healthcare organizations, such as the American Medical Association and the American Hospital Association, for months have advocated for healthcare-specific exemptions to the $100,000 fee. In March, four federal lawmakers introduced a bill aimed at exempting physicians and other healthcare workers from the $100,000 H-1B visa application fee. It has been in the House Committee on the Judiciary since March 17.