Wyden Says Program Will Increase Number Of Doctors In Rural Areas

On Wednesday, Ron Wyden joined a handful of other senators urging U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to resume premium processing for physicians seeking employment-based visas. Senator Wyden said doctors on these visas increase access to health care, especially in rural areas, through the Conrad 30 program, which allows foreign medical school graduates who have been trained in the U.S. to stay in the country as long as they serve underserved areas.

On March 20^th, USCIS announced its suspension of premium processing due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"This processing freeze will undoubtedly prevent these physicians from practicing in underserved areas, and at providers of high-complexity care, leaving hospitals in these areas more shortly staffed than before this national health crisis began,” the bipartisan letter stated. “We ask that you follow your past practice and continue to offer premium processing for physicians seeking employment-based visas—including for resident physicians serving in teaching hospitals—in order to help ensure that rural and underserved areas can continue to receive quality and continuity of care in this time of extraordinary need.”

Currently, many doctors from other countries training in the U.S. are required to return to their home country for two years after their training has ended before they can apply for another visa or green card. The Conrad 30 program allows doctors to stay in the United States without having to return home if they agree to practice in an underserved area for three years. The “30” refers to the number of doctors per state that can participate in the program.

Click Here to read the entire letter.

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