The Trump administration's immigration restrictions could discourage foreign-trained physicians from practicing in the United States, medical professionals and immigration attorneys warn, as the country faces a projected shortage of more than 141,000 doctors by 2038.
Hospitals and medical schools are confronting uncertainty over visa fees, travel restrictions and screening requirements, complicating efforts to recruit international physicians, according to a new report by Stateline.
Foreign-educated physicians make up approximately one-quarter of the U.S. physician workforce, including 52% of geriatricians, 46% of endocrinologists and 41% of internal medicine specialists.
"We've created a system where we depend heavily on physicians trained abroad, and at the same time, we create immigration policies that make it harder for those physicians to enter, to train, to remain in the country," Dr. Tarun Ramesh of Massachusetts General Hospital told Stateline.
The administration has pursued higher fees for certain H-1B visa applicants, expanded social media screening and imposed travel restrictions affecting 39 countries. Officials have defended the measures as necessary to protect national security and prevent misuse of employment visas.
Legal challenges and subsequent policy changes have added to uncertainty for employers and prospective physicians. Andrew Wizner, an immigration attorney representing medical institutions, described the message foreign doctors may take from the shifting requirements as: "Don't come here."
The recruitment concerns come amid an existing workforce shortage. In projections published in December 2025, the federal Health Resources and Services Administration estimated that the United States would have enough physicians to meet only 88% of national demand by 2038.
The agency projected particularly pronounced disparities in rural areas, where physician supply would meet just 42% of demand, compared with 95% in metropolitan communities. HRSA also projected shortages across 30 of 35 physician specialties, based on existing workforce trends.
Some states are attempting to address these gaps by easing licensing requirements for internationally trained doctors. Approximately two dozen states have adopted such measures, Stateline reported.
However, Bradley Cunningham of the Association of American Medical Colleges cautioned that the effects of immigration policy uncertainty remain difficult to measure. "We can't determine causality," he told Stateline, while noting that prospective physicians may hesitate to pursue U
© {{Year}} Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.