WASHINGTON - The Trump administration lifted a visa processing freeze for foreign physicians, ending a months-long halt that had sidelined thousands of doctors and exacerbated staffing shortages at hospitals across the country.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services said physician applications would resume normal processing toward a final decision, according to a statement from the agency. Screening and vetting requirements would continue to exceed those of the prior administration, including expanded background checks, biometric screening and social media reviews, USCIS said.

The rollback is part of a broader reckoning over the administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown. In January, the State Department paused issuing immigrant visas for people from 75 countries, targeting foreigners the administration said could require public assistance — a move expected to hit family-based immigration hardest. USCIS separately imposed a processing hold on immigration benefits for nationals of 39 countries it designated as high-risk national security threats.

That freeze had blocked visa renewals and work authorization updates for physicians from those countries, many of whom practice in rural and underserved communities where foreign-trained doctors account for a disproportionate share of the workforce. More than 10,000 H-1B physician visa holders and 17,000 J-1 doctors were subject to the hold.

The reversal follows sustained pressure from the medical community. The American Medical Association and 53 medical societies wrote to the Department of Homeland Security urging an exemption, arguing physician entry into the US is a matter of national interest. A bipartisan group of 100 lawmakers, led by New York congresspeople Yvette Clarke and Michael Lawler, sent a separate letter to DHS in February. (Source: Bloomberg)

Story Date: May 5, 2026