Some doctors fighting the pandemic now have another thing to worry about

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Sat, 2020-10-24 10:35 — mike kraft

Some doctors fighting the pandemic now have another thing to worry about For months Dr. Jinendra Satiya has faced fears on the frontlines of a deadly pandemic, treating coronavirus patients. Natasha Chen, CNN CNN

(CNN) For months Dr. Jinendra Satiya has faced fears on the frontlines of a deadly pandemic, treating coronavirus patients.

But now the doctor, on a fellowship at a Boston hospital, is facing a new anxiety: that new immigration restrictions could make it harder for him to stay in the country.

Satiya is one of thousands of foreign doctors who came to the United States on a visa that recently landed in the Trump administration's crosshairs.

A proposed rule could make it more difficult to renew J-1 exchange visitor visas, which allow scholars, doctors and others to live temporarily in the US while they study or receive training.

On the surface, it may sound like a small bureaucratic move. But Satiya and organizations representing doctors across the country warn it could affect medical care for Americans at a time when the country needs resources to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Satiya is one of about 12,000 doctors who are foreign nationals in the United States on a J-1 visa, according to the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). Visitors on J-1 visas are admitted to the US for the length of their training program -- for doctors, it's typically a one-year contract at a hospital, renewed annually for the duration of their residency.

When physicians on J-1 visas complete their competency reviews and get their contracts extended for another year, they then apply for visa renewal through the ECFMG.

But under the proposed rule, the annual visa renewal would require an additional step -- applying through US Customs and Immigration Services. That processing time could take 5 to 19 months, according to the USCIS website, and interrupt doctors' ability to continue working at their hospitals. ...

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