Steep Fees for H-1B Visas Would be Devastating for International Medical Graduates, the Healthcare Profession, and Patients as a Whole

The US administration recently implemented a $100,000 fee for initial applications for H-1B visas – to be paid by prospective employers. The American Medical Association is lobbying for an exemption for doctors. Currently, new physicians from international locations represent one in six medical residents and fellows at US teaching hospitals, approximately 15,500 doctors in 2024. See this piece by Roni Caryn Rabin from the New York Times that covers the panic about and resistance to the policy's application to physicians and nurses.