New Bill Exempts Health Care Professionals from H-1B Fee

Representatives Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), and Sanford Bishop (D-GA), introduced legislation — the H1Bs for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act (H.R. 7961) — that would exempt health care professionals from the $100,000 H-1B petition fee which stems from a Proclamation issued by President Trump on September 19, 2025.

The Proclamation provides no exception for physicians; although the Secretary of Homeland Security has the authority to grant exceptions to the fee in “extraordinarily rare” circumstances.

In a press release accompanying introduction of the bill, Representative Salazar stated, “As our nation faces a growing physician shortage, we must ensure that steep fees do not stand in the way of hospitals bringing in the medical talent American patients depend on.”