Background

On March 17, Representatives Mike Lawler (R-NY), Sanford Bishop Jr. (D-GA), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), and Yvette Clarke (D-NY) introduced the H–1Bs for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act, H.R. 7961. This bipartisan legislation will exempt physicians and other health care workers from the new H-1B visa fee of $100,000 which went into effect in September 2025. It also prohibits new H-1B fees from being imposed on health care workers that exceed the existing fees under the U.S. Code. 

International Medical Graduates (IMGs) – including those on J-1 and H-1B visas – comprise approximately 25 percent of the U.S. physician workforce and are disproportionately represented in underserved communities and rural areas, where workforce shortages are most acute. They play a vital role in ensuring access to care in these areas. Imposing such a steep fee on IMGs requiring H-1B visas would discourage the hiring of these physicians, worsen workforce shortages, and directly compromise patient care. It would also disrupt graduate medical education, undermining the training pipeline for the next generation of physicians. According to the National Resident Matching Program, in 2026, the match rate for PGY-1s (Postgraduate Year 1) for IMGs needing visa sponsorship had a match rate of 54.4 percent, which is a five-year low. 

While Section 1 ( c ) of the September 21, 2025, Presidential Proclamation permits the Secretary of Homeland Security to exempt workers whose employment serves the national interest and poses no threat to U.S. security or welfare, thus far, no physicians or other healthcare workers have been granted this exemption. Therefore, H.R. 7961 is both a needed and reasonable measure that ensures that physicians and other clinicians are not caught up in a visa fee scheme intended to deal with labor issues in other work fields that are not related to medicine. 

Action Requested: Please email your members of Congress to urge them to co-sponsor H.R.7961, H-1Bs for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act. A sample message has been provided for you that can be personalized. Please contact Shuan Tomlinson at stomlinson@acponline.org with any questions about this campaign. Thank you for your continued advocacy.