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- Posted July 7, 2025
U.S. Hospitals Face Shortages in Essential Staff Due to Foreign Residency Visa Delays
The Trump administration's recent travel and visa restrictions have left some hospitals in the United States without essential staff, according to a report from the Associated Press.
International doctors who were set to start their medical training this week are finding they are stumbling at the last hurdle -- a visa to enter the country. It is currently unclear precisely how many residents have been affected, but six medical residents who were interviewed by the AP said that after years of training and work, they are being prevented from starting their assignments by what should be a routine procedural step.
One example is a doctor in Canada who was matched to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Harrisburg. Her visa was stymied because although she is a permanent resident in Canada, she is a citizen of Afghanistan. "I don't want to give up," she told the AP under the condition of anonymity, "but the situation also seems so helpless."
The problem is concerning for U.S. hospitals, particularly those located in low-income or rural areas, as they foresee staffing shortages. However, the halt to interviews for J-1 visas for approved work or study-related programs was lifted in mid-June. The national nonprofit that facilitates the residency match process said the visa situation is resolving; however, for some, it is too little too late.
Two residents in India told the AP they are still unable to secure appointments at any U.S. embassies, despite the lifting of the J-1 visa pause. An incoming resident from Egypt has secured a visa appointment for mid-August, but she is concerned that her program may not be able to wait for her arrival.
The Association of American Medical Colleges projects a physician shortage in the United States within the next 11 years, so foreign medical residents are essential for filling critical employment gaps in the health care system. This year, there were more than 6,600 foreign-born international medical residents matched into U.S. programs, according to the AP. This number was the highest on record. After the matching process was complete, an additional 300 vacancies were filled with international residents.
International medical graduates often take jobs in places where U.S. medical trainees tend not to want to go and work in specialties that U.S. applicants tend to avoid, including internal medicine, according to Donna Lamb, president of the National Resident Matching Program.
"It's not just that they're coming in and they want to work in big, flashy centers on the coast," Lamb told the AP. "They're truly providing health care for all of America."
