U.S. visa freeze leaves 1,000 foreign doctors stranded amid healthcare crisis
A recent U.S. visa processing freeze left nearly 1,000 foreign doctors in limbo, risking their medical residencies and fellowships in underserved communities. The hold, tied to President Trump’s January travel ban, disrupted work permits for physicians from 39 countries.
The crisis began when the travel ban took effect, halting visa processing for doctors already working or set to start in American hospitals. Some, like Venezuelan family physician Ezequiel Veliz, faced detention in April before being released. Others were placed on administrative leave or lost jobs entirely.
Foreign-trained doctors make up a quarter of all U.S. physicians, with over 60% specialising in primary care—a field many American doctors avoid due to heavy workloads and lower wages. Their absence would worsen the country’s existing shortage of 65,000 doctors, a gap projected to grow sharply over the next decade. Last week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services resumed processing visas and work permits for medical professionals. The move followed pressure from over 20 doctor associations, which jointly warned that visa barriers threatened patient care in vulnerable areas.
The resumption of visa processing eases immediate concerns for foreign physicians and the communities relying on them. However, the episode highlights the U.S. healthcare system’s dependence on international doctors to fill critical gaps in care.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
