September 25, 2025

Dear Secretary Noem:

The undersigned physician organizations representing national medical societies write to strongly urge you to issue clarifying guidance that determines that H-1B physicians entry into the U.S. is in the national interest of the country thereby exempting them from the Proclamation entitled, “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers.”

This Proclamation implements a $100,000 fee, to be paid by the prospective employer, upon initial application for an H-1B visa beginning on September 21, 2025. However, section 1(c) of the Proclamation states that the restriction will not apply to an H-1B worker, or an industry, “if the Secretary of Homeland Security determines, in the Secretary’s discretion, that the hiring of such aliens to be employed as H-1B specialty occupation workers is in the national interest and does not pose a threat to the security or welfare of the United States.” Therefore, as you establish standards to define categories of H-1B workers covered by this exception, we urge you to clarify that all physicians, including medical residents, fellows, researchers, and those working in non-clinical settings, are critical to our national interest and exempt from the Proclamation.

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