In a Reversal, Doctors From Countries Under Trump’s Travel Ban Are Allowed to Stay in U.S.
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- The Trump administration has quietly revised a Department of Homeland Security policy to exempt foreign physicians from a travel ban that had frozen visa extensions, work permits, and green cards for citizens of 39 countries.
- This policy change allows U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to resume processing and issuing visas and work permits for foreign doctors, who had faced administrative leave and potential job loss due to the previous freeze.
- The United States currently faces a shortage of approximately 65,000 physicians, a gap expected to widen as the population ages and more doctors retire, with over 60% of foreign doctors practicing primary care specialties.
- Medical leaders, including Dr. Rebecca Andrews of the American College of Physicians, have welcomed the policy update, emphasizing the importance of retaining international physicians to address healthcare needs.
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