US may exempt doctors from $100,000 H-1B visa fee: Report

Doctors could be exempt from the Trump administration’s newly imposed $100,000 fee on high-skilled H-1B visa applications, according to Bloomberg.

The move comes after US President Donald Trump signed a new proclamation on September 19, that imposes a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas, restricting the entry of certain non-immigrant workers.

The H-1B visa programme is seen as critical for hospitals that depend on foreign-trained doctors to work in remote regions. Several health systems rely on visas to bring in medical residents and specialists, often to serve areas that struggle to attract US-trained professionals.

American Medical Association (AMA) President Bobby Mukkamala, a Michigan-based surgeon, stressed that international graduates are "a critical part of our physician



workforce."

"The Proclamation allows for potential exemptions, which can include physicians and medical residents," White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Bloomberg in an email.

The clarification came after hospitals and medical groups raised alarms that the $100,000 application cost would worsen the shortages of staff. More than 76 million Americans currently live in areas officially designated as short of primary care doctors, according to federal data compiled by the health research group KFF.

Federal immigration records show that leading institutions -- including Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital -- are among the top sponsors of H-1B visas. Mayo alone has over 300 approved visas. For these organisations, the proposed fee could add millions in extra labour costs.