The Donald Trump administration has lifted the suspension of visa screening for “doctors” among foreigners from 39 countries subject to entry restrictions.
The New York Times (NYT) reported that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (USCIS) has revised its website without notice to resume visa screening for foreign doctors.
Earlier in January, the Trump administration expanded entry restrictions, halting visa extensions, work permits, and issuance of permanent residency for foreigners from 39 countries, allowing doctors to undergo visa screening as an exception.
The move is interpreted as a result of criticism that the Trump administration’s anti-immigration policy has deepened the problem of a shortage of doctors in the United States.
According to the American College of Medicine (AAMC), it is estimated that about 65,000 doctors are currently lacking. With the aging population and retirement of doctors, the manpower shortage is expected to intensify within the next 10 years.
In particular, about 25% of doctors in the United States are foreigners, and more than 60% of them are in charge of primary care such as family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics that American doctors avoid.
Against this backdrop, critics pointed out that the Trump administration’s tightening of entry restrictions for 39 countries intensified confusion in the medical field, with some foreign doctors being furloughed or detained by immigration authorities.
More than 20 medical organizations, including the American Academy of Family Medicine and Pediatrics, sent a letter to the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security on the 8th of last month, calling for the application of policy exceptions and rapid visa processing, saying, “We express urgent concerns about barriers preventing verified foreign doctors from entering and staying in the United States.”
“We welcome the government’s action to ensure that we continue to employ dedicated overseas doctors,” said Rebecca Andrews, president of the American College of Internal Medicine’s board of directors. “We must attract the most capable doctors regardless of where they come from.”
The Department of Homeland Security only said, “Applications related to the medical profession will continue to be processed,” without explaining the background of the measure.
SAM KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
