US lifts hold on immigration applications for doctors, but leaves others
waiting
[May 08, 2026]
By SAFIYAH RIDDLE and AMY TAXIN
Libyan Dr. Faysal Alghoula must renew his green card to continue caring
for roughly 1,000 patients in southwestern Indiana, but hasn't been able
to since the Trump administration stopped reviewing applications for
people from several dozen countries it deemed high-risk.
Alghoula's current visa will expire in September if his application is
denied.
But last week, the administration quietly made an exemption for medical
doctors with pending visa or green card applications, possibly allowing
Alghoula's case to move forward. It's a move physicians organizations
and immigration attorneys had 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 lack of doctors is top of mind for Alghoula, a pulmonologist and
Intensive Care Unit doctor who serves a mostly rural population spanning
parts of Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky.
“It is about four to five months wait to get the pulmonologist here,” he
said.
Still, applicants and immigration attorneys say its unclear how big a
difference the exemption will make. The change means doctors can have
their cases reviewed, but it doesn't guarantee their green cards or
visas will be renewed. It is also unclear whether U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services will be able to process those applications in time
to meet immigration deadlines like Alghoula's.
Alghoula said he doesn't trust the administration will approve him due
to numerous stories about immigrants being detained at appointments to
renew their paperwork like the one he has next month.
“I’m still scared to go to my interview,” said Alghoula, who has lived
in the U.S. since 2016.
Meanwhile, the pause remains in affect for thousands of others including
researchers and entrepreneurs from 39 countries including Iran,
Afghanistan and Venezuela. While they’re on hold, many can’t legally
work, get health insurance or a driver’s license. If they leave the
U.S., they won't be let back in.
Immigrants unable to work or see family
The Trump administration decided last year to stop reviewing green card
and visa applications for people from a list of countries deemed
high-risk and this year stopped reviewing visa applications for citizens
of more than 75 countries over concerns they would seek public
assistance. The moves came amid the U.S. government's broader crackdown
on immigrants.
The pause followed the shooting of two National Guard troops by an
Afghan citizen, which the administration said highlighted “what a lack
of screening, vetting, and prioritizing expedient adjudications can do
to the American people.”
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration
officials, didn’t answer questions about the pause or recent changes to
exempt physicians but said in an email it wants to ensure applicants are
properly screened after determining the prior administration failed to
do so.
“There are lots of bans and lots of pauses that are happening right
now,” said Greg Siskind, an immigration attorney based in Memphis,
Tennessee. “It is all about making life miserable for people who are
here legally so they will choose other countries.”
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Dr. Zahra Shokri Varniab poses for a photo Friday, May 1, 2026, in
Palo Alto, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
 It isn’t clear how many doctors have
been 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 asking for help.
Some doctors have already been denied
Before the exemption, many immigrants filed federal lawsuits
demanding the government issue decisions on their cases.
One of them was Iranian Dr. Zahra Shokri Varniab, who came to the
United States three years ago to conduct radiology research. She was
waiting for a green card to attend a residency program but her
application got stuck in the pause. She filed a lawsuit demanding an
answer to her application and a federal judge ordered immigration
officials to review her case.
They did — and denied her. The 33-year-old doctor said she believes
it was in retaliation for her lawsuit.
“I feel completely confused,” Shokri Varniab said.
In court filings, U.S. government lawyers wrote that Shokri
Varniab's application contained inconsistencies about whether she
plans to become a practicing doctor or researcher. She said she
plans to do both.
She said the exemption doesn't appear to apply to her since her case
was decided but is seeking relief in court.
Immigration policy compounding war abroad
Immigrants who hold prestigious jobs in science and technology said
they currently can't work due to the pause because they're waiting
on employment authorization documents. Some said they are running
out of money for rent and groceries and worry their careers could be
thwarted if they're forced to leave the country.
Those from Iran are especially worried about returning home during
the ongoing war with U.S. and Israeli forces. They said they can't
regularly reach family due to the Iranian government's Internet
blackout or count on them for financial support.
Kaveh Javanshirjavid came to the United States from Iran seven years
ago to study for his doctorate in agriculture. He was supposed to
start a lab job in January but needs employment authorization and
his application is on hold.
The 41-year-old said he’s borrowing from friends to pay rent and
relying on his wife’s doctorate stipend for basic necessities. But
he doesn’t know how long that will last because she’s also Iranian
and will need work authorization to get a job after graduating this
summer.
“The whole of my life is on hold,” he said.
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