The recently announced suspension of premium processing for H-1B visa petitions by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) would exacerbate physician shortages, particularly in rural areas that depend on doctors who participate in the Conrad 30 J-1 visa waiver program; The suspension of premium processing will delay when these doctors can begin to practice medicine and harm patients and communities that rely on them

In a letter to Acting Director Scialabba, Klobuchar, Collins, and Heitkamp call on USCIS to address its administrative needs without sacrificing support for this successful, time-tested program

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) today urged U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to continue premium processing for doctors participating in the Conrad 30 program that helps rural America. USCIS’s recently announced suspension of premium processing for H1-B visa petitions beginning April 3^rd would exacerbate physician shortages, particularly in rural areas that depend on doctors who participate in the Conrad 30 J-1 visa waiver program. The suspension of premium processing will delay when these doctors can begin to serve patients in underserved areas across the country and harm patients and communities that rely on local health care facilities utilizing Conrad 30 doctors to fill critical needs. In a letter to Acting Director Scialabba, Klobuchar, Collins, and Heitkamp called on USCIS to address its administrative needs without sacrificing support for this successful time-tested program.

“Currently, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration, there are more than 6,600 designated Primary Medical Health Professional Shortage Areas and over half of these are in rural areas. Conrad 30 helps address this daunting shortage of doctors and has brought more than 15,000 physicians to underserved communities over the last fifteen years,” the senators wrote. “We understand USCIS is facing a backlog, but USCIS has addressed this problem in the past without suspending premium processing for Conrad 30 doctors. We have every faith that USCIS can address its administrative needs without sacrificing support to this successful, time-tested program.”

In 2015, Klobuchar, Collins, and Heitkamp introduced bipartisan legislation to make the Conrad 30 program permanent. The legislation would boost the number of doctors able to work in America by allowing them to remain in the U.S. longer than their visas initially allowed under the condition that they practice in underserved areas, such as rural communities. The bill was included as an amendment in the comprehensive immigration bill that passed the Senate in 2013.

The full text of the senators’ letter is below.

Dear Acting Director Scialabba,

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that it would suspend premium processing for H-1B visa petitions beginning April 3. We are concerned that this suspension will exacerbate physician shortages, particularly in rural areas that depend on doctors who participate in the Conrad 30 J-1 visa waiver program (Conrad 30). The suspension of premium processing will delay when these doctors can begin to practice medicine. We ask that you follow your past practice and continue to offer premium processing for doctors seeking H-1B visas to meet the goals of the Conrad 30 program.

Currently, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration, there are more than 6,600 designated Primary Medical Health Professional Shortage Areas and over half of these are in rural areas. Conrad 30 helps address this daunting shortage of doctors and has brought more than 15,000 physicians to underserved communities over the last fifteen years. After completing medical residencies in the United States, foreign doctors are required to return to their home country for two years before they are able to return to the United States to work in medical facilities under an H-1B visa. Under the Conrad 30 program, in exchange for three years of service in an underserved area, these doctors can receive a waiver of the home return requirement. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, Conrad 30 “has done more to recruit physicians to underserved areas in this country than even the National Health Services Corps.”

Conrad 30 requires an investment of time and money for the physician and the sponsoring health care facility. The state’s department of health, the State Department, and USCIS must all approve the waiver before the doctor can file an H-1B petition. The physician cannot work in the underserved area until the petition is approved. Health care facilities rely on premium processing to avoid delays in placing doctors in health care facilities where their services are desperately needed. The suspension of premium processing will delay when these doctors can begin to serve patients in underserved areas across the country. That delay could harm patients and communities who rely on local health care facilities utilizing Conrad 30 doctors to fill critical needs.

The Conrad 30 program has helped address chronic physician shortages in rural America and other underserved areas for over two decades. We understand USCIS is facing a backlog, but USCIS has addressed this problem in the past without suspending premium processing for Conrad 30 doctors. We have every faith that USCIS can address its administrative needs without sacrificing support to this successful, time-tested program.

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