# Plain Language Summary: Doctors in our Borders Act

This bill makes it easier for foreign-trained doctors to work in the United States by expanding a special immigration program called the Conrad 30 waiver. Right now, only 30 foreign doctors per year can use this waiver to stay and practice medicine in America without having to return to their home country first. The bill would increase that number to 100 doctors per year, more than tripling the current limit.

The Conrad 30 program was originally created to help rural and underserved areas get access to doctors. Foreign physicians who train in the U.S. are normally required to go back to their home country for at least two years before they can immigrate permanently. The waiver lets them skip that requirement and stay to practice medicine right away. By expanding this program, the bill aims to address doctor shortages, particularly in areas that struggle to attract medical professionals.

This change could help patients in underserved communities get better access to healthcare, since more foreign-trained doctors would be able to fill gaps in the medical workforce. For foreign doctors who have trained in America, it opens up more opportunities to stay and build their careers here. However, some people worry that expanding the program could affect job opportunities for American-trained doctors or that it might reduce incentives for training more doctors domestically. The bill essentially bets that bringing in more foreign physicians will help solve healthcare access problems rather than replace American doctors.

Doctors in our Borders Act

Lawler, Michael

Doctors in our Borders Act This bill increases the number of Conrad 30 waivers available each year from 30 to 100. Typically, a J-1 visa holder (nonimmigrant exchange visitor) must leave the United States for two years after finishing the exchange visitor program, including J-1 visa holders who entered the United States to receive graduate medical training. The Conrad 30 waiver program waives this requirement for eligible foreign medical graduates who agree to practice medicine in an underserved area or for an underserved population in the United States.