If you are a physician, nurse, or healthcare professional working in the United States on an H-1B visa, or hoping to, the recent talks about a $100,000 filing fee is putting your future here at serious risk. And if you are a hospital or medical practice that depends on international talent to serve your community, the stakes are just as high.

The good news is that Congress is paying attention.

On March 17, 2026, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the H-1Bs for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act. If passed, this bill would exempt physicians and other healthcare workers from the $100,000 H-1B petition fee introduced under a September 2025 Presidential Proclamation. It would also prohibit any future fees beyond what is already established under existing immigration law.

This matters enormously, not just as a policy issue, but as a human one.

What Is the H-1B Fee and Why Does It Matter?

The H-1B visa program is one of the most important pathways for foreign-born healthcare professionals to work legally in the United States. It allows hospitals, clinics, and private practices to sponsor skilled workers, including physicians, specialists, and other medical professionals, when they cannot fill positions domestically.

Last year, the government imposed a $100,000 filing fee on certain H-1B petitions, generally those healthcare workers who are coming from abroad and not changing status in the U.S. For many healthcare employers, especially community health centers, rural hospitals, and safety-net facilities already operating on tight margins, that cost is simply impossible to absorb. For the immigrant healthcare workers they were trying to hire, it meant doors closing that were previously open.

The impact is not abstract. International medical graduates make up roughly one in four practicing physicians in the United States. Many of them work in areas with the highest rates of poverty, chronic disease, and medical need. Nearly 87 million Americans already live in communities designated as lacking enough medical professionals to meet basic healthcare needs. A fee this steep does not just affect immigration paperwork. It affects whether people can see a doctor at all.

What the New Bill Would Do

The H-1Bs for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act, introduced by Representatives Mike Lawler, Sanford Bishop, Maria Elvira Salazar, and Yvette Clarke, would do two things. First, it would exempt healthcare workers as defined under the Affordable Care Act from the $100,000 fee. Second, it would cap any future H-1B fees for healthcare workers at the levels already established under existing immigration law, preventing additional financial barriers from being introduced down the road.

The bill has the support of some of the most respected organizations in American medicine, including the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the American Academy of Neurology, among others.

This level of bipartisan, cross-sector support is significant. It reflects a shared understanding that immigrant healthcare workers are not a peripheral part of the American medical system. They are central to it.

What This Means If You Are an Immigrant Healthcare Worker

If you are currently on an H-1B visa, this bill does not change anything yet. It has been introduced but not yet passed. Your current status and any pending petitions remain subject to existing rules.

However, this legislation represents real momentum. It signals that policymakers on both sides of the aisle recognize the value of immigrant physicians and healthcare professionals, and that there is political will to protect your ability to work and serve in this country.

If you are a physician or healthcare professional exploring your options under the H-1B program, now is a critical time to understand where your case stands and what your next steps are. If you are an employer looking to sponsor a healthcare worker, understanding your current obligations and costs is essential before the landscape shifts further.

What This Means If You Are a Healthcare Employer

Until this bill passes, the $100,000 fee remains in effect for applicable H-1B petitions. That means planning ahead matters more than ever. Understanding which positions and petitions may qualify for exemptions, and how to structure your hiring process to minimize risk and cost, requires careful legal guidance.

The landscape is moving quickly. What applies today may change in the coming weeks as this legislation advances or as additional policy updates emerge.

Our Guidance

At Garvish Immigration Law Group, we work closely with immigrant healthcare professionals and the employers who sponsor them. We understand how disorienting it can feel when the rules change mid-process, and how much is riding on getting this right.

Whether you are a physician navigating your H-1B renewal, a hospital HR team trying to understand your options, or a medical professional planning your next step in the United States, we are here to help you move forward with clarity.

If you have questions about how this legislation or the current H-1B fee structure affects your case, reach out to us today.