US allows doctors on H-1B work visa to practice

● MEDICAL FACILITIES, particularly those in rural regions, rely on the H-1B visa programme to fill critical vacancies.

Washington, May 15: The US has relaxed regulations to allow doctors on the H-1B work visa to practice telemedicine and help local hospitals to meet the surging demand for healthcare professionals due to the Coronavirus pandemic in America, the worst hit country by the Covid-19 outbreak.

The US has nearly 1.45 million cases of confirmed Covid-19 cases and over 86,000 people have died due to the highly contagious disease.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued new guidelines enabling physicians holding the H-1B visas to practice telemedicine and providing local hospitals with the necessary flexibility to meet increased demand for medical treatment during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant visa that allows US companies to employ graduate-level workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in specialised fields, which include dentistry.

The updated guidelines come after a bipartisan group of lawmakers urged the USCIS to permit doctors with the H-1B visas to make select

changes to better assist in the coronavirus response efforts.

Medical facilities, particularly those in rural regions, rely on the H-1B visa programme to fill critical vacancies. As part of the visa approval process, employers must identify where and for how long the visa holder will work.

Any changes to a visa holder’s status must be approved by the USCIS. The site-specificity for work authorisation has prevented physicians holding the H-1B visa from transferring to facilities that are overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients or are experiencing staff shortages due to the quarantine requirements.

A group of lawmakers in a letter to the USCIS said that these physicians are also unable to provide treatment through telemedicine programmes, which have provided muchneeded surge capacity to underserved and rural areas during this pandemic. — PTI