U.S. immigration authorities have eased visa restrictions on foreign physicians by lifting a processing hold on visa renewals, employment authorization documents (EADs), and green card applications for physicians from 39 countries affected by the travel ban.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) updated its guidelines to expressly exempt these medical professionals from a “processing hold” that had previously stalled paperwork for citizens from these nations. The reversal was implemented through a USCIS website rather than through a formal press release or a high-profile public announcement.
As a result, applications from these physicians are now being processed to address a nationwide shortage of 65,000 physicians, according to media reports.
Update Benefits for Other Individual or Group Cases Besides Doctors
These professionals had seen their visa renewals, work permits, or pending applications, including those in the U.S. on J-1 or H-1B visas, already in the U.S., paused earlier this year due to the prohibition.
Processing associated with these medical professionals is presumed to have resumed over the past few days.
According to media reports, the change took place after more than 20 physician associations urged the Department of Homeland Security in April to exempt qualified physicians from the policy and expedite processing of physician cases.
Impact of Travel Ban on EB-5 Applications Remains Limited
USCIS established an internal process for lifting holds on individual or group cases, requiring a comprehensive review by multiple offices. Holds have been lifted for aliens vetted through Operation PARRIS, certain petitions filed by U.S. citizens, intercountry adoption forms, certain rescheduled oath ceremonies, statutory and regulatory decision issuance, refugee registrations for South African citizens/nationals, certain special immigrant visa petitions, certain employment authorization documents, asylum applications from non-high-risk countries, and applications associated with medical physicians.
Since January, through Proclamation 10998, U.S. authorities have halted entry and visa processing for nationals of 39 countries. They have also suspended immigrant visa issuance for 75 countries, including those in the first group.
The industry has yet to observe an impact on EB-5 applications, said EB-5 attorney Elissa Lu of Law Office of Lu & Associates.
“At the market level, EB-5 is still less exposed than many other immigration categories,” she said. “The largest EB-5 source markets, China, Vietnam, and India, do not appear on the State Department’s Proclamation 10998 travel-ban list or the separate public-benefits-reliance immigrant-visa pause list.”
These Asian investors have historically dominated EB-5 visa issuances, with China driving demand.
However, Lu noted that investors from the listed countries who are based in the U.S. and transition to the EB-5 program may now face significant delays or restrictions.
“Since January 2026, the biggest change is adjustment of status,” she said. “USCIS has put on hold the adjudication of benefits, such as adjustment of status, for individual who was born in or is a national of one of 39 countries, many of whom are already living and working in the U.S. Therefore, if the investor is from one of those 39 countries, USCIS may hold final adjudication of those investor’s I-485 applications unless an exception, waiver, or litigation relief applies.”
Meanwhile, petitioners from the 39-country list outside the United States with ongoing EB-5 applications may also face paused or restricted consular visa issuance.
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