Dr. Al-Libi Faisal Al-Ghoula must renew his green card to continue caring for nearly 1,000 patients in southwest Indiana, but he has been unable to do so since the Trump administration. Stop reviewing apps For people from several dozen countries considered high risk.
Al-Ghoula’s current visa expires in September if his application is rejected.
But last week, the administration quietly exempted doctors with pending visa or green card applications, which could allow Al-Ghoula’s case to move forward. It is a movement of doctors’ organizations and Immigration Lawyers have sought for months, citing widespread shortages and a high proportion of foreign-trained doctors, who disproportionately work in underserved areas, according to the National Library of Medicine.
The doctor shortage is a top priority for Al-Ghoula, a pulmonologist and ICU physician who serves a mostly rural population in parts of Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky.
“It takes about four to five months for the pulmonologist to come here,” he said.
However, applicants and immigration lawyers say it’s unclear how big a difference the exemption will make. This change means that doctors can review their cases, but it does not guarantee that their green cards or visas will be renewed. It is also unclear whether USCIS will be able to process these applications in time to meet immigration deadlines such as the Gula deadline.
Al-Ghoula said that he does not trust that the administration will approve it because of many things Stories about immigration detention On dates to renew their papers like the one he has next month.
“I am still afraid to go to my interview,” said Al-Ghoula, who has lived in the United States since 2016.
Meanwhile, the pause remains in effect for thousands more, including researchers and business people from 39 countries including Iran, Afghanistan and Venezuela. While they wait, many cannot work legally or obtain health insurance or a driver’s license. If they leave the United States, they will not be allowed to return.
The Trump administration decided last year to stop reviewing green card and visa applications for people from a list of countries considered high-risk, and this year it stopped reviewing visa applications for citizens of more than 75 countries due to concerns that they might seek public assistance. These moves came amid the US government’s actions Wider crackdown On immigrants.
A pause followed Shooting at Two National Guard soldiers were killed by an Afghan national, which the administration said highlights “what a lack of vetting, scrutiny, and prioritization of appropriate adjudication can do to the American people.”
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration officials, did not answer questions about the pause or recent changes to the physician exemption, but said in an email that it wanted to make sure applicants were properly screened after determining that the previous administration had failed to do so.
“There are a lot of bans and a lot of moratoriums going on right now,” said Greg Siskind, an immigration attorney based in Memphis, Tennessee. “It’s all about making life miserable for people who are here legally so they choose other countries.”
It’s not clear how many doctors were affected by the pause, according to a spokesperson for the American Academy of Family Physicians, who said several doctors have reached out to the organization seeking help.
Before the exemption, several immigrants filed federal lawsuits asking the government to issue decisions on their cases.
Among them was Iranian Dr. Zahra Shukri Farneyab, who came to the United States three years ago to conduct research in the field of radiology. She was waiting for a green card to attend a residency program but her application was temporarily halted. She filed a lawsuit demanding a response to her request, and a federal judge ordered immigration officials to review her case.
They did it – and they denied it. The 33-year-old doctor said she believed it was retaliation for her lawsuit.
“I feel completely confused,” Shukri Farniab said.
In court filings, US government lawyers wrote that Shukri Farniab’s application contained inconsistencies about whether she planned to become a practicing physician or a researcher. She said she plans to do both.
She said the exemption does not appear to apply to her since her case was decided, but she is seeking compensation in court.
Migrants holding prestigious jobs in science and technology said they cannot currently work due to the layoff because they are waiting for work permit documents. Some said they were running out of money for rent and groceries, and worried their careers would be thwarted if they were forced to leave the country.
Those arriving from Iran are particularly concerned about returning home during the ongoing war with US and Israeli forces. They said they could not communicate with their families on a regular basis due to internet outages by the Iranian government or rely on them for financial support.
Kaveh Javanshirjaved came to the United States from Iran seven years ago to study for his doctorate in agriculture. He was supposed to start a laboratory job in January but needs a work permit and his application is pending.
The 41-year-old said he borrows from friends to pay the rent and relies on his wife’s doctoral salary for basic necessities. But he doesn’t know how long that will last because she is also Iranian and will need a work permit to get a job after graduating this summer.
He added: “My whole life is on hold.”