News & Media
Efforts to Exempt Physicians from New Visa Application Fee Underway
According to a proclamation issued by President Donald Trump, as of September 21, 2025, any new H-1B visa petitions need to be accompanied by a $100,000 payment to be considered. Because physicians and other health care personnel are not exempted from this new fee, many health systems, health care professionals, clinics, and communities are fearful of worsening existing health professional shortages and gaps in care especially in medically underserved areas.
According to the American Hospital Association, pursuant to a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, approximately 4 percent of the approved H-1B visas in 2024 were for medicine and health occupations, and of those, half were for physicians and surgeons.
The American Medical Association (AMA) and over 50 national medical societies also sent a letter to Secretary Noem. In the letter, they urge the Secretary to clarify that “all physicians, including medical residents, fellows, researchers and those working in nonclinical settings, are critical to our national interest and exempt from the Proclamation.” The letter also makes it clear that physicians on H-1B visas play a vital role in providing care to patients in rural and underserved areas, stating the following:
“In 2024, 23 percent of licensed physicians in the U.S. were foreign-trained. These H-1B physicians provide vitally needed health care to U.S. patients, especially in areas of the country with higher rates of poverty and chronic disease. For example, in 2021, about 64 percent of foreign-trained physicians were practicing in Medically Underserved Areas or Health Professional Shortage Areas, with almost 46 percent of these physicians practicing in rural areas. Additionally, between 2001 and 2024 almost 23,000 H-1B physicians worked in underserved communities.”
In addition to working with Congress and the Administration to secure an exemption for physicians from the new $100,000 H-1B visa application fee, the AMA advocacy staff has created a grassroots engagement campaign. If you want to contact your member of Congress to encourage clarifying guidance from the Department of Homeland Security that would exempt physicians and other health professionals, visit the Physicians Grassroots Network.