WASHINGTON — Healthcare employers recruiting doctors and specialists to the CNMI do not need to pay the $100,000 fee attached to certain H-1B petitions for now, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services confirmed in a letter to Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds.
The Aug. 3 letter, signed by USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow, responds to a request King-Hinds sent the agency on April 8 seeking reconsideration of an exception to the payment for medical professionals in the Northern Mariana Islands. In her letter, King-Hinds argued the Commonwealth’s geographic isolation and ongoing healthcare workforce shortages made the requirement particularly harmful to the CNMI’s ability to recruit qualified providers.
The relief did not come through a CNMI-specific exemption. Presidential Proclamation 10973 limited the entry of certain H-1B workers unless their petitions included the $100,000 payment, but a federal court vacated the agency guidance implementing that requirement in State of California v. Mullin, a case out of the District of Massachusetts. As a result, USCIS wrote, it is “not requiring evidence of the $100,000 payment at this time,” and reconsideration of the Commonwealth’s exemption request is unnecessary.
The phrase “at this time” appears twice in the four-paragraph letter. Because the payment stands down under a court ruling rather than a policy change, the requirement could return if the litigation is resolved in the government’s favor or the agency issues new implementing guidance.
“My concern has always been making sure federal policy does not make it harder for the CNMI to recruit the doctors and specialists our community needs,” said King-Hinds. “This clarification removes uncertainty for healthcare employers and helps ensure this payment requirement is not another obstacle to bringing medical professionals to our islands.”
King-Hinds said healthcare workforce shortages remain one of the Commonwealth’s most significant challenges and that her office will continue working with federal agencies to remove barriers affecting recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals.
“Access to healthcare begins with access to healthcare professionals,” said King-Hinds. “My office will continue working to ensure federal policies recognize the unique realities of providing medical care in the Northern Mariana Islands.”
