Policy and poaching reshape staffing
A new House bill would exempt health care workers from the $100,000 H‑1B filing fee—potentially easing international recruitment—while British Columbia hired over 400 U.S. health‑care workers in the past year, showing cross‑border competition for staff. Hospitals and lab managers are facing both new policy levers and active external recruitment markets. ( )
The measure was introduced March 17 as the H‑1Bs for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act and is sponsored by Reps. Sanford D. Bishop Jr., Mike Lawler, Maria Elvira Salazar and Yvette Clarke. (bishop.house.gov) The bill would carve out health‑care workers — using the Affordable Care Act’s definition of health‑care providers — from the additional $100,000 H‑1B payment and bars future H‑1B surcharges for those workers beyond existing statutory fees. (bishop.house.gov) The $100,000 payment was established by Presidential Proclamation 10973, “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers,” signed Sept. 19, 2025 and effective for new petitions filed on or after 12:01 a.m. ET Sept. 21, 2025 per USCIS guidance. (whitehouse.gov) The American Medical Association publicly welcomed the bill and noted international medical graduates account for roughly one in four practicing U.S. physicians, a statistic cited to argue the fee would worsen staffing in underserved areas. (ama-assn.org) British Columbia’s one‑year U.S. recruitment push has produced 414 accepted offers between March 2025 and January 2026, comprising 89 physicians, 260 nurses, 42 nurse practitioners and 23 allied health professionals according to the province’s March 17 update. (archive.news.gov.bc.ca) The B.C. campaign generated more than 1,400 job applications from U.S. health workers, used targeted marketing to Washington, Oregon and parts of California, and emphasized faster credential recognition under provincial licensing changes. (news.gov.bc.ca) B.C. officials said accepted recruits are being placed across urban and rural communities and framed the hires as capacity gains for primary care panels and emergency coverage while U.S. employers and hospitals face intensified cross‑border competition. (archive.news.gov.bc.ca)
