Doctors in our Borders Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Doctors in our Borders Act is a narrow physician-workforce immigration bill. Congress.gov text shows that section 2 amends Immigration and Nationality Act section 214(l)(1)(B) by replacing the current Conrad waiver cap of 30 with a cap of 100. Conrad waivers let states request waivers of the J-1 two-year foreign-residence requirement for foreign medical graduates who agree to practice in underserved areas. Raising the cap gives states more slots to retain U.S.-trained physicians for shortage areas, while increasing waiver-review volume for immigration and state health workforce offices.
Who Benefits and How
Foreign medical graduates in J-1 status benefit because more Conrad waiver slots may let them remain in the United States to practice. Medically underserved communities benefit if additional waiver physicians fill local care gaps. Hospitals and clinics in shortage areas benefit from a larger pool of doctors who can stay after training. State health departments benefit from a bigger tool for physician recruitment and retention.
Who Bears the Burden and How
USCIS must adjudicate a larger potential volume of Conrad waiver-related immigration requests. State Conrad program offices must review, prioritize, and monitor more physician waiver applications. U.S. physicians competing for shortage-area jobs may face more competition from waiver physicians. Immigration restriction advocates bear the burden of a higher statutory waiver cap.
Key Provisions
- Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act Conrad waiver provision.
- Raises the physician waiver cap from 30 to 100.
- Expands state capacity to retain foreign medical graduates for shortage-area practice.
- Uses a targeted immigration workforce change rather than a broad visa-category rewrite.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Increases the number of Conrad physician waivers available under the Immigration and Nationality Act from 30 to 100.
Key Policy Areas
Immigration, Health Care, Workforce
Primary Purpose
Increases the number of Conrad physician waivers available under the Immigration and Nationality Act from 30 to 100.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Foreign medical graduates
- Medically underserved communities
- Hospitals in shortage areas
- State health departments
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- USCIS
- State Conrad program offices
- U.S. physician competitors
- Immigration restriction advocates
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Lawler (for himself, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. …
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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