Trump’s H-1B visa fee hike sparks U.S. doctor shortage worries

The Trump administration's plan to dramatically raise fees for H-1B visas is drawing concern from U.S. healthcare groups who say the move could worsen staffing shortages as more than half of healthcare workers consider changing jobs within the next year.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is reviewing policy changes that would increase the cost of applying for H-1B visas to as much as $100,000 from the current top of $4,500.

The H-1B programme allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in specialty fields such as technology, engineering, medicine, and academia.

The visas are widely used by the U.S. healthcare sector to recruit international medical graduates or foreign-trained doctors and other professionals trained abroad.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reported that in fiscal year 2025 there were about 442,000 unique H-1B visa beneficiaries across all sectors, with 5,640 petitions approved in the healthcare and social assistance industry alone.

The influential American Medical Association warned that fees as high as $100,000 could choke off the international physician pipeline.

"With the U.S. already facing a shortage of doctors, making it harder for international medical graduates to train and practice here means patients will wait longer and drive farther to get care," said AMA President Bobby Mukkamala.

Hospital and doctor groups warned that the fee increase could sharply reduce the number of foreign-trained doctors entering the U.S. system.

For many hospitals already stretched thin, that could also mean fewer specialists and higher burdens on domestic medical staff.

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