Foreign doctors in US see visa relief as Trump eases travel ban rules

Foreign doctors already in the US can resume visa processing after weeks of disruption linked to the Trump administration's travel ban policy

The administration of Donald Trump has quietly eased part of its travel ban affecting nearly 39 countries, allowing foreign doctors already in the United States to resume visa processing after weeks of disruption.

 

The move was not formally announced. Instead, US Citizenship and Immigration Services updated its website late last week to indicate that physicians would no longer be subject to the processing hold, according to a report by The New York Times.

 

“Applications associated with medical physicians will continue processing,” the Department of Homeland Security told the newspaper.

 

What changed for foreign doctors

 

When the travel ban was introduced, immigration processing for applicants from the listed countries was paused. This included visas, work permits and Green Card applications.

 

 

Doctors already working in the United States were among those affected. Many were placed on administrative leave as their visa renewals stalled under the policy.

 

The disruption began to strain healthcare services. Foreign-trained doctors account for around 25 per cent of the US medical workforce, and the pause risked leaving hospitals short-staffed, especially in underserved areas. 

 

Under the latest update, processing has resumed for physicians who are already in the country, allowing them to continue working and renewing their status.

 

Pressure from medical groups

 

The change follows growing concern from medical organisations about the impact on patient care.

 

On April 8, several groups, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Neurology and the American Academy of Pediatrics, wrote to US authorities warning about barriers affecting “qualified, vetted physicians”.

 

They called for exemptions and faster processing, pointing to the risk for hospitals and patients if doctors were forced to stop working.

 

Sebastian Arruarana, founder of Project IMG, which represents international medical graduates, said there had been early signs of relief after the update.

 

“Affected physicians have not yet been notified about any changes in their visa process, but we are hopeful after seeing this update,” he told The New York Times.

 

In a post on X, he described the scale of the disruption.

 

“Visa processing disruptions placed hundreds of physicians—potentially up to 1,000—at risk of being unable to work, including residents and fellows in training and incoming physicians preparing to start on July 1,” he said.

 

“This had immediate implications not only for physicians, but for hospitals and patients, particularly in underserved communities.”

 

Detentions and legal risks during the pause

 

The policy also created legal complications for some doctors whose visa renewals were delayed.

 

Ezequiel Veliz, a family doctor from Venezuela, was detained by federal agents on April 6 at a checkpoint in Texas after falling out of legal status when his renewal was not processed. He was released after 10 days.

 

Reports indicated that several doctors faced similar risks as their documents expired during the freeze.

 

Can doctors outside the US benefit?

 

There is still uncertainty over whether the change applies to doctors outside the United States.

 

Experts say the update appears limited to physicians already in the country. The broader travel ban and visa restrictions for applicants abroad remain in place.

 

That means incoming residents and doctors from affected countries who are not currently in the US may still face barriers in entering the country, despite the partial easing of rules.

 

US visa ban

 

The lives of hundreds of thousands of people were thrown into limbo after the Trump administration hit pause on reviewing their visa, green card, work permit and citizenship applications.

 

The pause is targeted at those born in one of 39 countries, including Nigeria, Myanmar and Venezuela. The U.S. imposed travel restrictions on most of those countries after an Afghan national shot two National Guardsmen on a Washington, D.C. street in late November.