Hundred US lawmakers call for H-1B fee exemption for healthcare sector

A bipartisan group of 100 members of the US Congress has urged Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to exempt the healthcare sector from a newly introduced $100,000 fee on employers applying for H-1B visas, cautioning that the measure could aggravate existing workforce shortages and limit patient access to care.

In a letter dated 11 February, the lawmakers expressed “deep concern” over the impact of the 19 September presidential proclamation titled Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers, which introduced the substantial fee for new H-1B visa petitions.

While the proclamation allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to grant exemptions to entire sectors if deemed to be in the national interest and not a threat to US security or welfare, the lawmakers argued that healthcare urgently requires such relief.

“We urge you to create a healthcare sector exemption to prevent additional strain on the healthcare workforce,” the letter stated.

Citing federal data, the signatories highlighted the scale of existing staffing gaps. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, nearly 87 million Americans live in areas officially designated as lacking sufficient medical professionals. Demand for physicians could outstrip supply by as many as 86,000 over the next decade, while clinical laboratory training programmes are producing fewer than half the professionals required.

The lawmakers warned that domestic recruitment alone would be insufficient to bridge the gap, and restricting access to international medical professionals would further strain the system.

“For more than three decades, healthcare employers have relied on the H-1B visa programme to recruit physicians, advanced practice providers, laboratory specialists and researchers,” the letter noted, adding that many of these professionals serve rural and underserved communities and contribute significantly to biomedical research.

They cautioned that the new fee would disproportionately affect smaller and financially vulnerable institutions, including rural hospitals and urban safety-net providers.

“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.”

The initiative was led by Representatives Yvette D. Clarke and Michael Lawler, with support from lawmakers across both parties and chambers, including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. The appeal has also been endorsed by major healthcare organisations such as the American Hospital Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Greater New York Hospital Association and the California Medical Association.

The H-1B visa programme enables US employers to hire foreign professionals in specialised fields. Indian nationals account for the majority of successful applicants each year, many of whom work in technology, healthcare and research.

Debate surrounding the scheme has intensified in recent years amid wider immigration reforms and concerns over labour market pressures. Healthcare leaders have consistently argued that international medical graduates and specialists are vital to sustaining services, particularly in rural and high-poverty areas.

With IANS input