It lifted restrictions on many international physicians from getting visa approvals and work authorisation, The New York Times reported.
A Department of Homeland Security policy linked to a January travel ban had put a freeze on visa extensions, green cards and work permits for citizens of 39 countries, the report had earlier mentioned.
This had directly impacted doctors working in US hospitals with some being placed on administrative leave and others facing the risk of losing their jobs.
Last week, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services updated its website without any formal announcement. It indicated that physicians would no longer be affected by the processing halt.
“Applications associated with medical physicians will continue processing,” DHS confirmed in a statement to The New York Times.
The decision comes at a time when the US is already dealing with a major shortage of doctors. According to the report citing data by the Association of American Medical Colleges, the country is short of around 65,000 physicians and the gap is expected to grow in the coming years as the population ages and more doctors retire.
International doctors play a key role in addressing this shortage. More than 60% of them work in primary care fields such as family medicine, internal medicine and paediatrics. These areas often see fewer American doctors due to long working hours and relatively lower pay compared to specialised fields.
Foreign physicians currently make up about 25% of the total medical workforce in US. The policy had also led to disruptions on an individual level. In one case, a family doctor from Venezuela was detained by federal agents in Texas after falling out of legal status when his visa processing was delayed. He was released after several days. Others faced uncertainty as their applications remained pending.
In April, more than 20 doctor associations wrote to government officials where they expressed ‘urgent concern’ about barriers preventing “qualified, vetted physicians” from entering and remaining in the US. They called for exemptions and faster processing of visa applications.
In June last year, President Donald Trump introduced a travel ban targeting 19 countries which was later widened in January to include a total of 39 nations. The move was a similar restriction from his first term that barred entry to individuals from several Muslim-majority countries, though that earlier policy did not affect those who were already living and working in the US.
