BANGOR, Maine - A group of senators is calling on U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to keep a pipeline of foreign doctors open to benefit rural communities.
The senators want premium processing to continue for doctors participating in the Conrad 30 waiver program, which makes it easier for foreign doctors to come to underserved parts of the U.S. to work.
Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar and North Dakota Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp are making the push. They say a recently announced suspension of premium processing for H1-B visa petitions would make physician shortages worse in rural areas.
The same three senators have previously tried to make the Conrad 30 program permanent. They say it would boost the number of doctors who are able to work in the U.S.