News India Times

www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know News India Times (June 13, 2026 - June 19, 2026) June 19, 2026 4 US Affairs T he American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) has welcomed the recent court decision blocking the proposed $100,000 requirement for H-1B physician visa applications. Calling the ruling a critical victory for patient care and the stability of the U.S. healthcare system, AAPI President Dr. Amit Chakrabarty emphasized the impor- tance of the decision for both physicians and patients across the country. “This ruling restores fairness and stabil- ity to a system that thousands of interna- tional physicians depend upon,” said Dr. Chakrabarty. “This is not a political vic- tory—it is a healthcare victory. It ensures that patients are not placed at risk due to policy barriers unrelated to clinical need.” AAPI leaders stressed that the proposed finan- cial requirement would have disproportionately impacted rural hospitals, safety-net institutions, and underserved health- care settings, where International Medical Graduates (IMGs) play an essential role. Such a policy, they noted, could have led to hospitals withdraw- ing employment offers, leaving critical vacancies unfilled, and significantly reducing access to care in already vulnerable regions. “Many hospitals would have struggled to absorb such a financial burden,” Dr. Chakrabarty explained. “The consequenc- es would have been immediate—fewer physicians, longer wait times, and reduced ac- cess to care for commu- nities that already face healthcare disparities.” “This decision is vital for protecting access to care in medically underserved commu- nities,” Dr. Chakrab- arty said. “Healthcare policies must always prioritize patients and the physicians who serve them.” IMGs—physicians trained outside the United States and Canada—are a cornerstone of the Ameri- can healthcare system, AAPI said noting that IMGs make up approximately 25% of the U.S. physician workforce, represent- ing one in four practicing doctors; They provide care to nearly 1 in every 6 patients nationwide; About 40% of physicians in rural and underserved areas are IMGs; and more than half of internal medicine trainees include IMGs, helping sustain the physician pipeline. “IMG physicians bring not only medi- cal expertise but also empathy, cultural understanding, and a global perspective,” Dr. Chakrabarty pointed out. “They are essential to delivering equitable, patient- centered care in a diverse nation.” However, AAPI leaders noted that IMGs continue to face challenges, including complex visa processes, professional un- certainty, and workplace inequities. The organization reaffirmed its com- mitment to advocating for fair, transpar- ent, and patient-centered immigration policies. By a StaffWriter Indian American Physicians Applaud Ruling Blocking $100,000 H-1B Physician Visa Requirement Trump’s $100,000 Fee On H-1B Visas For Highly Skilled Workers Is Struck Down A federal judge threw out the Trump admin- istration’s $100,000 fee on H-1B visas for highly skilled workers Monday, June 8, 2024, which had been challenged by California and 19 other states. In the 42-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Leo T. Sorokin of Massachusetts declared President Donald Trump’s fee unlawful. He said the presi- dent unilaterally imposed an illegal tax, bypassing Congress, and failed to consider the impact of his actions on sectors experiencing labor shortages that rely on the program to hire physicians, nurses and teachers. Trump’s “decision to implement a tax was not within his inherent constitutional powers,” or his authority under federal immigration laws, he wrote. The fee, which previously topped out at $5,000, led to fewer applications for H-1B workers, the judge said. The Trump administration is expected to appeal the ruling. “President Trump has clear legal authority to re- strict entry of any class of aliens he determines is not in America’s best interests, and that is exactly what he did,” said Taylor Rogers, aWhite House spokeswoman. “The H-1B program has been abused for decades, and Presi- dent Trump finally took action to fix it.” California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who led the multi-state coalition that filed the lawsuit last year, cheered the ruling, saying the visas will allow U.S. em- ployers to fill jobs in industries such as health care that are experiencing labor shortages. “This tax was an attack on America’s ability to attract and retain the high-skilled talent that strengthens our economy and helps us meet critical workforce needs,” Bonta said in a statement. “California remains open for business, open to talent, and committed to ensuring our communities have essential services – from healthcare to education – that depend on a strong, skilled workforce.” Sorokin was appointed to the bench by President Barack Obama in 2014. The fee, which applied to new applications from abroad, not renewals, narrowed a major pathway for legal guestworkers that is widely used by Silicon Valley tech companies, as well as hospitals and universities. The measure is one of several initiatives the Trump ad- ministration has taken over the last year to restrict legal immigration. The H-1B visa was created in the Immigration Act of 1990 to enable U.S. employers to hire foreign workers for jobs that require specialized knowledge. Proponents view the program as a way to burnish the United States’ competitive edge by recruiting experts from India, China and other countries to innovate and create jobs in the United States. Others have raised concerns about fraud and competition with U.S. workers. Federal law caps the number of H-1Bs issued each year at 65,000, with another 20,000 for those with advanced degrees from a U.S. university. Most workers are exempt from that limit because they are extending their visa or they work for nonprofits that are not subject to the restriction, according to a report last year from the Congressional Research Service. In fiscal year 2023, the federal government ap- proved more than 386,000 petitions for H-1B work- ers. Most were for men from India who worked in computer-related jobs, the report said. Other fields include architecture, engineering, and surveying as well as education-related jobs. Trump issued a proclamation in September 2025 imposing the fee and citing the rising number of foreign workers in science and tech industries. White House officials reasoned that if companies badly needed new workers, they could afford to pay the higher fee. Trump alleged that the H-1B program has been “deliberately exploited to replace, rather than supplement, American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labor.” He noted that the number of foreign-born workers in science, technology, engineering and math had soared, “resulting in a dis- advantageous labor market for American citizens.” But the states sued in December, arguing that the fee created a cost-prohibitive barrier to hiring workers in fields that require specialized experience. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also had challenged the fees in a separate lawsuit, but the court sided with the Trump administration late last year. Proponents of the program hailed the judge’s decision Monday. FWD.us President Todd Schulte said Trump’s fee “would have harmed American job and wage growth and hurt the quality of life of Americans.” He urged theWhite House to drop the plan. “For many years we have advocated to reform, im- prove and expand legal pathways for immigrants with specialized skills to come to the U.S., stay and fully con- tribute,” Schulte said in a statement. “That, rather than an excessive fee that is undermining our talent pipeline, is the correct approach.” -TheWashington Post By Lauren Kaori Gurley PHOTO:DESITALKTEAM H1B visa Representational Image by Desi Talk Team. Dr. Amit Chakrabarty PHOTO:COURTESY AAPI