On September 20, 2025, the Trump administration announced a $100,000 application fee for H-1B visas — a move that stunned employers, workers, and industries across the U.S.

While the White House now says doctors may be exempt, there is still no guarantee — and no formal policy — protecting the future of international physicians who serve millions of Americans.

We’re calling for immediate and permanent exemptions for:

Physicians and medical residents
Nurses and other frontline healthcare professionals
Researchers and public health specialists
 

Health systems across the U.S. — from the Mayo Clinic to rural clinics in underserved areas — depend on foreign-born doctors to fill critical staffing shortages. According to the American Medical Association, this visa fee hike risks shutting off the pipeline of highly trained physicians — and could hit hardest in rural and low-income communities already suffering from doctor shortages.

More than 76 million Americans live in areas without enough primary care physicians. Choking off this workforce isn’t just economically harmful — it’s medically dangerous.

We call on President Trump and the White House to issue a formal exemption for doctors and medical professionals.
 

This policy, as written, threatens public health, punishes hard-working professionals, and undermines the future of American healthcare.

Sign this petition to demand a guaranteed exemption for doctors and essential workers from the Trump administration’s H-1B visa fee. Our health — and our values — depend on it.