More employers offer immigrant doctors visa support
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
A small but growing number of employers are offering immigrants support in obtaining visas and green cards — especially those looking for physicians and surgeons, according to new data from jobs site Indeed.
Why it matters: Immigration plays a key role in filling jobs within industries facing labor shortages — with health care at the top of the list.
How it works: The share of job postings that include an offer of visa support spiked over the past few years — from 0.04% in June 2021 to 0.14% in May.
- These are very small numbers. But what's most notable is that almost three-quarters of all the job postings that include immigration benefits were in the health care sector.
Zoom in: In May 3.2% of help-wanteds for physicians and surgeons included an offer of visa support or green card sponsorship, per Indeed.
- In New York, 18% of physician jobs offered immigration support.
The big picture: There's a growing shortage of doctors in the U.S. — projected to reach into the tens of thousands over the next decade, per the Association of American Medical Colleges.
- Immigration is seen as one way to fill the gap — though there are other policy levers that could be pulled.
- Health employers facing immediate staffing shortages can turn to temporary visas like H-1Bs that allow qualified professionals to work in the U.S. for a fixed period, often tied to employer sponsorship, per Holland & Hart.
- Those looking to fill longer-term positions with foreign workers can sponsor them for permanent residency.
What to watch: Immigration to the U.S. has declined sharply this year amid the White House crackdown, and interest among foreigners in working in the U.S. is also showing signs of a drop-off.
- That could most directly affect home care and long-term care, since immigrants make up 1 in 3 workers (32%) in home care settings, according to KFF. They also make up 21% of workers in nursing facilities and 24% of workers in residential care settings.
- The Committee of Interns and Residents, part of the Service Employees International Union, last week called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to exempt non-citizen physicians slated to work in U.S. hospitals from the Trump administration's travel ban, citing concerns over a strained physician workforce.
The bottom line: The immigration decline could pose challenges for health care in particular, just as demand for doctors is expected to skyrocket as boomers age.
