The American Hospital Association (AHA) has called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to retain the "duration of status" policy for J-1 visa physicians in the United States. This policy allows nearly 17,000 physicians participating in residency and fellowship programs to remain in the country for the entire length of their training.
Under a new DHS proposal, this designation would be replaced with a fixed admission period not exceeding four years. Physicians in longer programs would need to apply annually for an extension. The AHA expressed concerns about this change, stating it could disrupt physician training and impact patient care.
"The AHA acknowledges that DHS’ objective in removing D/S designations from multiple categories of nonimmigrant visas is to reduce the risk of visa overstays and to strengthen DHS’ capacity to confirm that visas are being utilized for their intended purposes," said the AHA. "At the same time, we believe that the current D/S policy approach for J-1 physicians has a long track record of achieving these same goals in a manner that is well-aligned with the highly structured and carefully sequenced nature of physician training programs."
The organization warned that proposed changes might increase administrative burdens and costs for hospitals.
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