The American Hospital Association is urging the Trump administration to exempt healthcare workers from a new $100,000 visa fee policy, warning that the cost could worsen clinician shortages and force some hospitals to reduce services, particularly in rural and underserved areas. The request follows a Sept. 19 proclamation from President Donald Trump that imposed the fee on new H-1B visa applications for foreign workers seeking high-skilled roles. The policy took effect Sept. 21. It allows for case-by-case exemptions if the Homeland Security secretary determines that hiring a worker is “in the national interest.”

In a Sept. 29 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the AHA noted that nearly 400,000 H-1B petitions were approved in fiscal year 2024, and 4.2% of those — or 16,937

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