A federal judge in Massachusetts on Monday, Sept. 14, postponed a Department of Homeland Security rule just hours before it was set to take effect, preserving the system that lets international students and exchange visitors, including physicians in training, stay in the U.S. for the length of their programs. The rule would have replaced that system, known as duration of status, with fixed admission periods of no more than four years for F, J, and I visa holders, requiring many to apply to the government for more time, Fierce Healthcare reported. Health care and medical education groups had warned that nearly one in 10 physicians in U.S. residency and fellowship programs train on a J visa.
The stakes extend to patients. A Health Affairs study cited by Fierce found that reliance on J-1 trainees was highest in North Dakota, where they made up 29% of physicians in training, followed by Connecticut and West Virginia at 17% each. The researchers found heavy reliance in the Upper Midwest, Northern Plains, and Appalachia, regions that already faced severe physician shortages.
