The federal government’s visa restrictions for several countries are hindering hundreds of international physicians who have been accepted into U.S.-based medical residencies, NBC News reported June 24.
In May, the White House limited travel from seven countries and banned travel from 12 others. The restrictions included a suspension of J-1 visa applications, which is a program for foreign-based physicians to train in the U.S. During the pause, which ended June 18, international physicians were instructed to make their social media accounts public.
This year, U.S. residency programs have accepted 6,653 international physicians, but about 1,000 have not yet secured visas. Although federal officials said the application pause has been lifted, some physicians cannot schedule visa appointments because their embassies have not reopened them, some have been told their applications need more vetting, and others were denied visas because they are from countries with a travel ban.
Project IMG, an organization for international medical students and graduates, estimates that hundreds of foreign-based physicians are stuck due to the visa restrictions. NBC News characterized the situation as “visa limbo.”
A State Department spokesperson recently told the news outlet that visas have helped the U.S. address healthcare workforce shortages and that protecting national security is its top priority.
