Washington: A group of US lawmakers have urged the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to exempt health care professionals from a new $100,000 H-1B visa fee, warning that the policy is straining hospitals and could worsen critical workforce shortages across the country. 

New H-1B Visa Fee Could Worsen Healthcare Workforce Shortages, Warn Legislators

In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, members of the New Democrat Coalition and other lawmakers said the $100,000 fee, imposed under a September 19, 2025, presidential proclamation, threatens access to care, particularly in rural and underserved communities already struggling to recruit and retain medical professionals.

“As Members of Congress, access to health care is one of our top priorities,” the lawmakers wrote.

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“The Proclamation issued September 19, 2025, poses a serious threat to the healthcare workforce in our districts. Fewer healthcare workers means higher costs, longer wait times, and greater distance travelled for our constituents to access the care they need. We urge the administration to prevent any disruptions in access to care and exempt health care professionals from these fees,” said the letter.

The proclamation requires certain H-1B visa petitions filed on or after September 21, 2025, to be accompanied by an additional $100,000 payment, a sharp increase from the previous $215 registry fee. Health care leaders say the added cost and uncertainty are already discouraging hospitals from hiring foreign-trained physicians and specialists.

Local providers, including paediatricians from Akron Children’s Hospital, told lawmakers the fee is making it harder to recruit doctors, especially in paediatric and speciality care. They warned that rural hospitals, which face limited infrastructure, transportation challenges, and fewer local professionals, are particularly vulnerable.

“The current H-1B fee is cost-prohibitive and will exponentially magnify our workforce shortage in the coming years,” said Dr Shefali Mahesh, Paediatrician in Chief at Akron Children’s Hospital. “This will force children’s hospitals to consolidate services and reduce access to the most vulnerable. It would be in the best interest of US children to provide an exemption to the H-1B fees for health care professionals.”

In their letter, the lawmakers pointed to federal workforce data showing that shortages are already severe. They cited estimates from the Health Resources and Services Administration that 13,075 additional physicians are needed to eliminate primary care shortage designations nationwide, with the shortfall projected to grow to 87,150 by 2037. Nurses, behavioural health professionals, pediatric specialists, and laboratory personnel are also in short supply.

The lawmakers stressed that the H-1B program does not displace US workers, but instead helps sustain the health care system. In 2024, they noted, 16,937 of the roughly 400,000 approved H-1B petitions were for medicine and health professionals. They argued that losing even a fraction of these workers would further strain hospitals already grappling with rising costs.

The letter also warned that the new fee comes at a time when providers are facing financial pressure from cuts to Medicaid under the “Big Ugly Law” and the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits. According to the lawmakers, rural and underserved providers, many of which are already at risk of closure, would be hit hardest by the added visa costs.

“We cannot afford to lose any additional healthcare workers,” the lawmakers wrote, adding that they remain committed to working with the administration and Congress to address shortages and invest in the domestic workforce.

The lawmakers urged DHS to act quickly to exempt health care professionals from the fee to prevent further disruption to patient care nationwide. Led by Representatives Emilia Sykes and Terri Sewell, the full letter was signed by more than two dozen members of Congress, including Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ted Lieu, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Kim Schrier.

(IANS)