REPS. TOKUDA, BACON LEAD BIPARTISAN EFFORT TO PROTECT RURAL HEALTH CARE FROM NEW $100,000 H-1B VISA FEE

Washington, Feb. 5 -- Representative Jill Tokuda issued the following press release:

U.S. Representatives Jill Tokuda (D-HI-02) and Don Bacon (R-NE-02), along with 31 of their colleagues, are urging Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to exempt healthcare workers from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' (USCIS) newly implemented $100,000 fee for workers located outside the United States.

In a bipartisan letter, the lawmakers warn that the unprecedented fee would further strain rural hospitals, clinics, and safety-net providers already facing severe workforce shortages - threatening access to care for patients in rural, frontier, and medically underserved communities, where alternative providers are often hou...