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The Trump administration has reversed a policy that had effectively blocked many foreign physicians from obtaining and renewing visas to practice in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed.
The Department of Homeland Security had earlier implemented a measure tied to a January travel ban covering citizens from 39 countries, which halted decisions on visa extensions, work permits and green cards.
The policy left many international medical professionals in limbo, with some placed on administrative leave and others at risk of losing their jobs.
However, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services updated its website late last week, without formal announcement, indicating that physicians are now exempt from the processing suspension. The Department of Homeland Security later confirmed the change.
“Applications associated with medical physicians will continue processing,” DHS said in a statement, signalling that visa and work permit adjudications for doctors would resume.
The reversal occurs at a time when there is still a severe shortage of medical professionals in the United States. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, there is a physician shortage of roughly 65,000, and this shortfall is predicted to grow as healthcare demand rises and more senior physicians retire.
Foreign-trained doctors play a major role in filling that gap. More than 60 percent of them work in primary care fields such as family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics.
“I am glad that the administration took measures to ensure that we can keep our dedicated international physicians,” said Dr. Rebecca Andrews, chair of the Board of Regents for the American College of Physicians, as quoted by The New York Post.
“We need to recruit the most skilled doctors no matter where they are from,” she said.
Overall, foreign doctors account for around 25% of the US medical workforce; those most impacted by the previous restrictions are mostly from Africa, the Middle East, and Venezuela.
One of those impacted was Ezequiel Veliz, a Venezuelan family doctor. He lost legal status after delays in processing his new visa and was detained by federal agents on April 6 at a checkpoint in Texas. He was released 10 days later.
Concerns over the policy prompted widespread backlash from the medical community. On April 8, more than 20 medical associations sent a letter to the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security, warning of severe consequences.
The groups expressed “urgent concern” about barriers preventing “qualified, vetted physicians” from entering and remaining in the United States.
Despite the policy shift, uncertainty remains for many doctors already caught in the system.
“Affected physicians have not yet been notified about any changes in their visa process, but we are hopeful after seeing this update,” said Sebastian Arruarana, founder of Project IMG, which supports thousands of international medical graduates in the US.
He warned that around 1,000 doctors completing residencies and fellowships in underserved areas could still face disruptions.
