The Trump administration may exempt doctors from its new $100,000 fee for high-skilled H-1B visa applications, the White House said Monday, following warnings from medical groups about shortages in rural America.
“The Proclamation allows for potential exemptions, which can include physicians and medical residents,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in an email to Bloomberg News.
The executive order released Friday allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive fees if hiring a worker is “in the national interest.” It is unclear whether exemptions for doctors will be industry-wide or decided case by case.
Hospitals rely heavily on the H-1B program to recruit physicians to remote areas with severe provider shortages.
American Medical Association President Bobby Mukkamala called international medical graduates “a critical part of our physician workforce.”
The potential fee waivers boosted hospital stocks: HCA Healthcare rose as much as 1.4%, while Tenet Healthcare gained up to 3.1%.
Exemptions could especially benefit rural communities, where doctor shortages are most severe. A 2024 government report projects a shortfall of over 87,000 primary care physicians by 2037.
More than 76 million Americans live in federally designated shortage areas.
The American Hospital Association said it is reviewing the impact and will work with the administration “to stress the importance of including health care personnel in potential exemptions to these changes.”
Major medical centers, including Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, are top sponsors of H-1B visas, with Mayo alone holding more than 300 approved visas. Paying the new fee could add millions in labor costs.
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