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SAN ANTONIO SAN ANTONIO
MEDICINE MEDICINE

(medically underserved areas)
for 3 to 5 years. That commit-
ment has resulted in us often
being separated from our wife,
husband and/or children. This
is the rule book.
During this last year with
COVID-19, we worked just
like the rest of the healthcare
workers, risking our lives in
fulfilling our professional duty
to care for the sick. However,
it also meant that if we lost our
jobs, we would have to exit the
country within 15 days, leav-
ing everything we earned and
own behind. Alternatively, if
we got sick and passed away,
our spouses and kids would be
kicked out of the US because
they are on dependent visas.
Our closest kin wouldn't even
get to see us or say goodbyes in
our last moments.
We are capable profession-
als and have the resources to
start our own practices and businesses that can create and employ oth- issued per country. The result is that physicians on EB2 visas are stuck
ers; but because we are on visas, we aren't allowed to do that. Instead, in the EB2 queue that gets longer every year.
we end up working as an “employee” for other employers. Imagine try- It is estimated there are roughly a quarter million physicians in the
ing to explain this to patients who ask us “Do you have a clinic where USA who are Indian immigrants. The green card backlog is about
I can come and see you?”. They often are incredulous when we try to 300,000 for Indian immigrants which is manyfold higher than all
The Plight of the Immigrant Physician explain it to them. We get requests from staffing professionals request- other nations combined. About a quarter of the entire US healthcare

workforce are immigrants.
ing us to fill an urgent need, but we cannot take advantage of those
opportunities because our visas are tied to the place of practice and we There have been attempts to address these issues, but little headway
By Amar Sunkari, MD
are not allowed to work anywhere else. Often employers know this, has been made because these attempts are often attached to far more
and some use it to their advantage. popular, widely-debated and controversial issues such as DACA.
I have been a practicing physician in hospitals for more than 10 years Yet, I am years away from getting a green card, let alone US citizen- The situation exists for two main reasons. First, physicians are in- Hence, Indian physicians are trying to raise awareness and gather sup-
now and in the United States for more than 15 years. During this time, ship. I am an alien national and will be for at least the next 10 years. cluded in the same category as any other master’s degree job profes- port to address our plight. We are asking US lawmakers to be fair,
I have abided by the law, contributed to communities in professional It means that every time I cross the border, I have to visit a consulate sionals, called EB2. This wasn't the case until a law was passed moving meaning recognizing our efforts, contributions and the sacrifices we
and nonprofessional capacities, paid my share of taxes and followed to get a visa and go through an immigration check. I am expected to physicians from immigration category EB1 to EB2. Now other pro- have made and will continue to make.
every rule US immigration has set forth. My children were born here always carry all of my immigration papers with me. Each time I leave fessionals such as multinational company managers and scientists have If you believe there is merit to what we are requesting, please help
and are US citizens. Every asset I own is in the US. I have experienced this country, whether I can return or not hangs by a thread. priority over physicians. Second, there is a green card cap (limit) on us in making these points to legislators and policy makers.
and shared the same adversities, joys and problems as everyone else in This is not just my story, but is the story of thousands of Indian doc- immigration based on country of origin. There are 65,000 H1B visas
the communities in which I have lived, from surviving hurricanes to tors who have migrated to the US. The reason is many of us have en- issued every year, most of which are taken up by Indian or Chinese na- Amar Sunkari, MD is a member of the Bexar County Med-
local fundraisers for good causes. tered the US under a J1 waiver to serve in national interest areas tionals, often software professionals. Yet only 7,500 green cards can be ical Society.

26 SAN ANTONIO MEDICINE • March 2021 Visit us at www.bcms.org 27