WASHINGTON: A bipartisan group of 100 members of Congress has urged Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to exempt the health care sector from a new $100, 000 fee on employers petitioning for H-1B visas, warning it could deepen staffing shortages and limit access to care across the US.
In a letter dated February 11, lawmakers said they were “deeply concerned about the impact of the September 19 Presidential Proclamation, ‘Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers, ’ on the health care workforce.”
The proclamation imposes a $100, 000 fee on employers seeking new H-1B visas but allows the DHS secretary to grant sector-wide exemptions if it “is in the national interest and does not pose a threat to the security or welfare of the United States.”
“We urge you to create a health care sector exemption to prevent additional strain on the health care workforce, ” the lawmakers wrote.