Kamal Ghorui
A bipartisan bill introduced in the US House of Representatives seeks to exempt American sponsors of physicians and other healthcare professionals on H-1B visas from a steep $100K surcharge imposed under a presidential proclamation in Sept.Titled the ‘H-1Bs for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act,’ the bill was introduced by Congressman Mike Lawler along with Representatives Sanford Bishop, Maria Elvira Salazar and Yvette Clarke, amid growing concern that the newly introduced entry fee could worsen staff shortages in US hospitals and medical facilities.The proposed legislation provides that the entry-fee should not apply to H-1B workers employed in the healthcare workforce and also bars the government from imposing any fee higher than the standard H-1B filing charges specified under existing immigration law.
In a statement announcing the bill, Lawler said hospitals, community health centres and other critical facilities are already facing severe workforce shortages and cannot afford the additional fee. He said the surcharge could effectively shut healthcare employers out of the H-1B program and limit access to care in many communities, including rural and underserved areas.“As they are in so many areas across our society and economy, immigrant Americans remain indispensable assets to keeping our hospitals and health systems running steadily, efficiently, and effectively. The bipartisan willingness to ensure migrant health care workers are exempted from the $100K fee for H-1B petitions stands as a testament to the widely accepted value and necessity of these workers in one of this country’s most vital, yet vulnerable sectors. I am proud to co-lead this effort to prevent dangerous workforce shortages from impacting the health and well-being of Americans, as well as to ensure that those who are willing to contribute their expertise and talents to our nation can continue to do so at the times when we most need them,” said Congresswoman Clarke.Other lawmakers backing the bill said the $100,000 filing fee would make it harder for hospitals to recruit qualified doctors and medical professionals, particularly in regions that already struggle to attract staff. The legislation aims to ensure that healthcare providers can continue hiring foreign professionals needed to maintain patient services.The move is being closely watched by immigration experts and the Indian diaspora, as a large number of foreign medical professionals in the US (including many from India), are sponsored under the H-1B program.The bill has been referred to a House committee and must be approved by both chambers of Congress before it can become law. However, its introduction signals growing pressure from lawmakers and the healthcare industry to carve out sector-specific exemptions from stricter H-1B rules introduced last year.Meanwhile, the hearing is ongoing in the lawsuit led by Global Nurse Force, which was the first lawsuit to challenge the $100K entry fee.
