[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":3,"doc-seo-305310-105":53,"doc-detail-305310-en":127},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,14,19,24,29,34,39,44,49],{"id":8,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":11,"show_sort_weight":12,"slug":13},11,1,"Template","Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":15,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":16,"show_sort_weight":17,"slug":18},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":20,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":21,"show_sort_weight":22,"slug":23},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":25,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":26,"show_sort_weight":27,"slug":28},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":30,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":31,"show_sort_weight":32,"slug":33},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":35,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":36,"show_sort_weight":37,"slug":38},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":40,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":41,"show_sort_weight":42,"slug":43},18,"Letters",30,"letters",{"id":45,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":46,"show_sort_weight":47,"slug":48},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":50,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":51,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":52},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":54,"data":55},"ok",{"site_id":56,"language":57,"slug":58,"title":59,"keywords":60,"description":61,"schema_data":62,"social_meta":120,"head_meta":122,"extra_data":124,"updated_unix":126},105,"en","why-dont-they-just-get-in-line-barriers-to-legal-immigration-april-28-2021","Why Don’t They Just Get in Line?: Barriers to Legal Immigration - April 28, 2021","","Written testimony submitted to the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship explains how the U.S. immigration system creates barriers for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) and for employers seeking physicians in rural or other underserved areas. The testimony describes the scale of the physician shortage, outlines training pathways through H-1B and J-1 statuses, and details wage requirements, time limits, J-1 two-year home-country return rules, and limited waiver slots that restrict legal immigration and long-term retention.",{"@graph":63,"@context":119},[64,80,102],{"@type":65,"itemListElement":66},"BreadcrumbList",[67,71,74,77],{"item":68,"name":69,"@type":70,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":72,"name":10,"@type":70,"position":73},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":75,"name":41,"@type":70,"position":76},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/",3,{"item":78,"name":59,"@type":70,"position":79},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/why-dont-they-just-get-in-line-barriers-to-legal-immigration-april-28-2021/305310/",4,{"url":78,"name":59,"@type":81,"image":82,"author":87,"headline":59,"publisher":90,"fileFormat":93,"inLanguage":57,"description":61,"dateModified":94,"datePublished":95,"encodingFormat":93,"isAccessibleForFree":96,"interactionStatistic":97},"DigitalDocument",{"url":83,"@type":84,"width":85,"height":86},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/why-dont-they-just-get-in-line-barriers-to-legal-immigration-april-28-2021/305310.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":88,"@type":89},"Oliver Hayes","Person",{"url":68,"name":91,"@type":92},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-03","2026-09-19",true,{"@type":98,"interactionType":99,"userInteractionCount":101},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":100},"ViewAction",7,{"@type":103,"mainEntity":104},"FAQPage",[105,111,115],{"name":106,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":108},"What opportunity does the testimony address for the subcommittee?","Question",{"text":109,"@type":110},"It is submitted to the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship regarding barriers to legal immigration under the current immigration system.","Answer",{"name":112,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":113},"How do H-1B training requirements affect foreign medical trainees?",{"text":114,"@type":110},"H-1B trainees must be paid at or above the prevailing wage, and the H-1B status includes a six-year time limit, often requiring alternative nonimmigrant status to continue specialty training.",{"name":116,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":117},"What obligations do physicians face under J-1 status?",{"text":118,"@type":110},"Physicians become subject to INA Section 212(e), including a two-year return to the home country before changing to H or L status, obtaining an H or L visa, or obtaining lawful permanent residence, unless a waiver is granted.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":78,"og:type":121,"og:title":59,"og:site_name":91,"og:description":61},"article",{"robots":123,"canonical":78},"index,follow",{"doc_id":125,"site_id":56},305310,1790181831,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":128},{"doc_id":125,"user_id":129,"nickname":88,"user_avatar":130,"doc_module":9,"category_id":40,"category_name":41,"doc_title":59,"doc_description":61,"doc_content":131,"file_id":132,"file_url":133,"file_type":134,"file_size":135,"view_count":101,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":9,"is_downloadable":9,"audit_status":9,"page_count":79,"language":136,"language_code":57,"site_id":56,"html_lang":57,"table_of_contents":137,"faqs":138,"seo_title":139,"seo_description":61,"update_tm":140,"read_time":73},687207020761,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","Written testimony of the International Medical Graduate Taskforce Before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship“Why Don’t They Just Get in Line?: Barriers to Legal Immigration”  \nApril 28, 2021  \nIntroduction  \nChairwoman Lofgren, Ranking Member McClintock, and members of the subcommittee, thank you for providing the opportunity to submit written testimony regarding the barriers to legal immigration that currently exist within our immigration system.  \nThe International Medical Graduate (IMG) Taskforce is comprised of legal professionals dedicated to helping Americans in rural and other physician-shortage areas obtain the basic medical services they so desperately need and deserve. Our members represent universities, teaching hospitals, medical centers, clinics of all sizes, and the physicians seeking to work in these shortage areas. We advise physicians when they are undergoing their graduate medical education, help them obtain lawful nonimmigrant status so they may commence their careers, and ultimately assist them in attaining lawful permanent resident status and citizenship.  \nThrough this work, our membership has seen how the immigration system burdens these physicians and their employers, which hurts the medically underserved communities in which the physicians wish to work. The United States is facing a growing physician shortage that has only gotten worse due to the ongoing pandemic. The Association of American Medical Colleges projected that there will be a total physician shortage of between 54,100 and 139,000 physicians by 2033.1 Yet, instead of working to attract foreign physicians from abroad to help alleviate this shortage, our immigration system actively disincentivizes the hiring and long-term retention of such physicians. Below, we will outline the difficulties the current system poses for physicians.  \nBarriers for foreign physicians  \nTraining and post-training employment  \nForeign medical graduates make up approximately 24.7% of the population of those obtaining graduate medical education in the United States.2 Generally, they complete their residency and/or fellowship training in either H-1B or J-1 status. About 20% of trainees are in H- 1B status and 80% train in J-1 status.3  \nWhen training in H-1B status, trainees must be paid at or above the prevailing wage for physicians in their specialty in their area. The prevailing wage levels determined by the Department of Labor are often far higher than standard wages paid to residents and fellows  \n1 The Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: Projections From 2018 to 2033 , Assᴏᴄɪᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏғ Aᴍᴇʀɪᴄᴀɴ Mᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ Cᴏʟʟᴇɢᴇs 3 (June 2020), [https://www.aamc.org/media/45976/download](https://www.aamc.org/media/45976/download).  \n2 Physician Specialty Data Report: Active Physicians Who Are International Medical Graduates (IMGs) by Specialty, 2019, Assᴏᴄɪᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏғ Aᴍᴇʀɪᴄᴀɴ Mᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ Cᴏʟʟᴇɢᴇs (2020), [https://www.aamc.org/data](https://www.aamc.org/data)reports/workforce/interactive-data/active-physicians-who-are-international-medical-graduates-imgsspecialty-2019 .  \n3 Greg Siskind and Elissa Taub, ABCs of Immigration: J-1 Visas for Graduate Medical Training, Sɪsᴋɪɴᴅ Sᴜssᴇʀ PC (Dec. 2, 2019), [https://www.visalaw.com/abcs-immigration-j-1-visas-graduate-medical](https://www.visalaw.com/abcs-immigration-j-1-visas-graduate-medical)training/ .  \nbecause there is no “trainee physician” wage category. As such, training programs often must use private wage surveys, which can trigger Requests For Evidence (“RFEs”) from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) . Additionally, the H-1B status has a six year time limit, unless an employment-based permanent residence case has been commenced on the H- 1B worker’s behalf. As training positions are temporary, this is not feasible for H-1B trainees and they will need alternative non-immigrant status to work in the United States if they pursue specialty training in H-1B status.  \nPhysicians ","cbCaiv31dWAaixhI","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiv31dWAaixhI","pdf",146183,"English","# Introduction\n# Barriers for foreign physicians\n## Training and post-training employment","[{\"question\":\"What opportunity does the testimony address for the subcommittee?\",\"answer\":\"It is submitted to the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship regarding barriers to legal immigration under the current immigration system.\"},{\"question\":\"How do H-1B training requirements affect foreign medical trainees?\",\"answer\":\"H-1B trainees must be paid at or above the prevailing wage, and the H-1B status includes a six-year time limit, often requiring alternative nonimmigrant status to continue specialty training.\"},{\"question\":\"What obligations do physicians face under J-1 status?\",\"answer\":\"Physicians become subject to INA Section 212(e), including a two-year return to the home country before changing to H or L status, obtaining an H or L visa, or obtaining lawful permanent residence, unless a waiver is granted.\"}]","Why Don’t They Just Get in Line?: Barriers to Legal Immigration - April 28, 2021 | PDF",1789823712]