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AAFP, ACP urge expedited review of international medical graduates’ visas
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The American Academy of Family Physicians and ACP were among the professional societies that recently pushed for a faster review of H-1B visas for international medical graduates who are slated to start their residency training on July 1.
AAFP president Michael Munger, MD, told Healio Family Medicine in an interview that although residency training programs do not begin until July 1, the impact of the slowed-down process is already being felt.
“The delays are already happening because the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is requesting more information about the residents’ wages before approving the visa application. But the Department of Labor doesn’t have wage data on medical residents. In the past, the government has accepted data from the Association of American Medical Colleges Survey of Resident/ Fellow Stipends and Benefits Report because it’s the only information available.”
Munger added that the failure of the federal agency to move quicker would impact both components of the patient-physician equation.
“Thousands of patients depend on the care they receive from medical residents. If noncitizen international medical graduates cannot enter the United States in time to begin their residency training, the vacancies at those community health centers, federally qualified health centers and teaching hospitals will likely delay timely access to patient care. Unless the issue is resolved, this could reduce the number of residents completing their training and entering practices,” he said.
“Noncitizen international medical graduates apply for entry using either the H-1B visa or the J-1 visa. Of the 3,962 noncitizen international medical graduates who have accepted residency positions in all medical specialties, a fourth of them have applied to enter the United States on H-1B visas. These additional physicians are very important to our health care workforce,” Munger continued.
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website, the H-1B program allows U.S. companies to temporarily employ foreign workers in jobs that necessitate "the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge." The worker must also have a bachelor’s degree or higher in the chosen specialty or its equivalent. The agency's website also states that the J-1 description is authorized for those who aspire to take part in an approved program for several purposes, including receiving graduate medical education or training.
Other societies signing the letter, which also went to the Departments of Homeland Security and Labor, include the AAP, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Psychiatric Association, Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine and the Council of Academic Family Medicine.
The plea from these medical societies comes as reports indicate a small group of U.S. Senators and other Republican leaders are stepping up their efforts to get the Trump administration to make a decision regarding the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program. These reports also state that the U.S. House is preparing to discuss several DACA-related bills sometime this month.
Last year, AAFP, ACP, AMA and several researchers expressed dismay and concern that President Donald J. Trump planned to rescind the Obama-era initiative that gave freedom from deportation and access to work permits for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. before 16 years of age, a group of people known as ‘Dreamers.’
The Washington Post recently reported that at least three judges have thwarted Trump’s attempts to put an end to the program, leaving the residency status of 690,000 U.S. residents in limbo.
Healio’s Health Care and Politics Resource Center compiles the latest stories across a range of political hot topics, including the latest news on health care laws, proposals, regulations and policies in the United States and how they are likely to affect clinicians and patient care. Be sure to bookmark the page for future reference. – by Janel Miller
Disclosure: Munger is president of AAFP.
References:
USCIS.gov. H-1B Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Cap Season
https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations-and-fashion-models/h-1b-fiscal-year-fy-2019-cap-season. Accessed June 7, 2018.
USCIS.gov. Exchange Visitors. https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/students-and-exchange-visitors/exchange-visitors. Accessed June 7, 2018.