Small towns and underserved communities across the U.S. are already struggling to find doctors. Now, the problem is about to get worse.

The Trump administration recently announced a new policy that places a $100,000 fee on every new H-1B visa applicant—a dramatic increase from the previous $3,000 cost.

 The rule is meant to discourage abuse of the visa system by large corporations. But there’s one big problem: rural hospitals and community clinics are being hit just as hard.

These are not tech companies trying to cut labor costs. They are lifeline institutions in areas that already face dangerous physician shortages. Many rely on international medical graduates to fill roles that American-trained doctors simply aren’t applying for—especially in non-academic, underserved, and remote areas.

According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, the U.S. needs 13,000 more physicians today—and 87,000 by 2037—just to meet basic health care needs. Nearly half of international medical graduates serve in rural or medically underserved areas, and the new visa fee puts that entire pipeline at risk.

We are calling on the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Kristi Noem, and President Donald Trump to immediately exempt rural hospitals, community health centers, and nonprofit medical facilities from the $100,000 H-1B visa fee.

If this rule isn’t changed, clinics will close. Residency programs will shrink. And American patients—especially in rural areas—will be left with no care at all.

This isn’t about politics. It’s about public health. We need doctors, and we need them now.

Sign this petition to urge the administration to protect rural health care by exempting essential hospitals from this devastating fee.