Coalition-backed legislation would protect healthcare employers’ ability to recruit international physicians and fill critical care gaps in communities nationwide

The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR), the leading authority on physician recruitment, onboarding and retention, joined over 40 national medical associations and patient advocacy groups this month as cosigners of a coalition letter in support of H.R. 7961, the H-1Bs for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act. The bipartisan legislation is in response to the Trump Administration’s September 2025 proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee on each new H-1B visa application, which is disproportionately harming the healthcare industry.

The recruitment of physicians and other healthcare workers is a time- and resource-intensive process often spanning over a year for a single candidate. Healthcare employers recruit from a broad pool of candidates, including international medical graduates (IMG), since they are more likely to serve in rural and underserved areas.

The fee, increased by 1900% ,is causing employers to pause or move away from recruiting IMGs despite the urgent need and limited pool of available candidates, especially in fields like oncology, OB/GYN and nephrology, specialties with high days to fill, an AAPPR metric that measures the time from opening a physician search to securing a signed contract.

To address this, the H-1Bs for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act would exempt physicians and other health professionals from the new $100,000 H-1B fee, ensuring employers can continue to fill critical access gaps. The legislation drew international attention, from the New York Times to the Times of India, highlighting the urgency around this issue. As the coalition letter notes, the bill ensures that “physicians and other essential health care providers are not unnecessarily swept into a fee structure designed to address other workforce sectors.”

“The $100,000 H-1B filing fee on health care entities poses a serious challenge to provider recruitment at a time when demand for physicians and other health care professionals continues to grow,” said Carey Goryl, CEO, Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment. “Hospitals, health systems and practices across the country rely on international physicians and health care professionals to meet patient needs. This fee could slow recruitment efforts and make it harder for employers to bring on the providers their communities depend on. AAPPR supports the H-1Bs for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act and applauds Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Sanford D. Bishop (D-GA), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Yvette Clarke (D-NY) for their bipartisan leadership on this issue.”

As AAPPR and healthcare recruitment professionals celebrate Physician and Provider Recruitment Professionals Week, April 20-26, this legislation underscores the vital role recruitment professionals play in ensuring communities across the country have access to the healthcare providers they need.

For more information about AAPPR and its advocacy efforts, visit https://aappr.org/.

About The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR)

The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR) is a nationally recognized leader in health care provider recruitment, onboarding, and retention. For more than 30 years, AAPPR has empowered physician and advanced practice provider recruitment leaders to transform care delivery in their communities by providing best-in-class practices, up-to-date industry knowledge, and evolving innovative approaches for hiring, onboarding, and retaining exceptional clinical talent. To learn more or to become an organizational member of AAPPR, please visit https://aappr.org/join-now.

Media Contact:

Alexis Schuchert
Franco
aschuchert@franco.com

Alysia Gradney
AAPPR
agradney@aappr.org