WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bipartisan group of 100 members of Congress has called on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to exempt the health care sector from a new $100,000 fee on employers petitioning for H-1B visas, warning that the policy could worsen staffing shortages and reduce access to care across the United States.
In a letter dated February 11, lawmakers said they were “deeply concerned about the impact of the September 19 Presidential Proclamation, ‘Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers,’ on the health care workforce.”
The proclamation imposes a $100,000 fee on employers seeking new H-1B visas but gives the Department of Homeland Security secretary the authority to grant sector-wide exemptions if doing so is deemed to be in the national interest and does not threaten U.S. security or welfare.
“We urge you to create a health care sector exemption to prevent additional strain on the health care workforce,” the lawmakers wrote.
Citing federal data, the letter said workforce shortages are already affecting millions of Americans. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, nearly 87 million people live in areas officially designated as lacking sufficient medical professionals. Lawmakers noted that physician demand could exceed supply by as many as 86,000 over the next decade, while clinical laboratory science programs are producing fewer than half the professionals needed to meet demand.
“These shortages cannot be filled by the domestic workforce alone, and projections will worsen if health care employers cannot continue to recruit and retain international health care workers,” the letter said.
The lawmakers emphasized that health care employers have relied on the H-1B visa program for more than three decades to recruit physicians, advanced practice professionals, laboratory workers, and researchers, many of whom serve in rural and underserved communities and contribute to biomedical research.
“Health care organizations must be able to recruit staff in the most cost-effective manner so they can use their financial resources to hire as many caregivers as possible to take care of their communities,” the letter said, adding that rural hospitals and urban safety-net hospitals would be hit hardest by the new fee.
“Imposing a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa petitions will exacerbate hospitals’ existing staffing challenges and could push chronically underfunded hospitals to their financial brink,” the members wrote. “Critically needed open positions will simply go unfilled, leaving rural and high-poverty urban areas without adequate access to care.”
The letter was led by Representatives Yvette D. Clarke and Michael Lawler and signed by a broad bipartisan group in both chambers of Congress, including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. It is supported by major health organizations, including national hospital and medical associations.
The H-1B visa program allows U.S. employers to hire foreign professionals in specialty occupations. Indian nationals account for the largest share of H-1B approvals each year, with many working in technology, health care, and research roles.
Debate over the program has intensified in recent years amid broader immigration restrictions and workforce pressures. Health care leaders have repeatedly argued that international medical graduates and specialists are essential to maintaining care in rural and underserved communities nationwide. (Source: IANS)
