A week before they are due to start work at U.S. hospitals, hundreds of doctors from abroad are still waiting to obtain visas granting them temporary stays in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of them have been in limbo since late May, when the State Department suspended applications for J-1 visas, which allow people to come to the U.S. for exchange visitor programs. The visas are the most common way for international doctors to attend residencies in the U.S., which provide medical graduates with training in a given specialty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The State Department announced last week that embassies or consulates could resume visa interviews but that applicants would be required to make their social media accounts public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, many doctors still haven\u2019t been able to schedule visa appointments because their embassies haven\u2019t reopened slots, according to Project IMG, a networking and support group for international medical students and graduates. Others have been told at visa appointments over the last several days that their applications require additional vetting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still others have been denied visas because they are originally from countries listed on the Trump administration\u2019s recent travel ban<\/a>. The administration this month partially restricted visas for people from seven countries and fully suspended visas for an additional 12 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NBC News spoke with eight doctors who have struggled to obtain visas ahead of their residencies, most of whom asked to remain anonymous for fear of affecting their visa application process. They said their dreams are now up in the air after years of studying, financial sacrifice and lost time with loved ones. The cost of medical licensing exams<\/a>, which anyone starting a medical residency in the U.S. is required to pass, can exceed $2,000. They also worry about the communities they\u2019re supposed to serve in the U.S., many of which have doctor shortages and rely on incoming medical residents to fill those gaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Several doctors said they are frantically refreshing embassy pages in hopes that an appointment opens up or looking for slots in nearby countries. Others who have been denied visas are trying to schedule new appointments, but are starting to lose hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSometimes I want to give up, to be honest,\u201d said one doctor, originally from a travel ban country, who was accepted to a pediatric residency in rural Texas. \u201cI\u2019m tired. I have studied a lot. I have spent a lot of money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than 6,600 doctors who are non-U.S. citizens were accepted into residency programs<\/a> this year, according to the National Resident Matching Program. Once they\u2019re matched with a program, these doctors have a brief window \u2014 around three months \u2014 to obtain a visa before their residencies start on July 1. Many international doctors were able to schedule interviews and obtain visas before the Trump administration\u2019s visa pause, according to Project IMG. But others were still waiting on documents from their government to complete their applications or couldn\u2019t get an interview until June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project IMG said Tuesday it estimates that hundreds of doctors are still stuck abroad due to the Trump administration\u2019s visa restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe gotta solve this crisis by July 1,\u201d said Dr. Sebastian Arruarana, the organization\u2019s founder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many residency programs are doing their best to reserve people\u2019s spots while the visa process plays out, but it\u2019s not a guarantee. While programs can\u2019t revoke a spot outright, they can apply for a waiver with the National Resident Matching Program that would release them of their commitment to a doctor. They can also defer a doctor\u2019s spot to the following year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A spokesperson for the State Department told NBC News last Friday that protecting national security is the highest priority in the visa process. However, they noted that \u201cvisas for qualified medical professionals have played an important role in helping the United States address critical health care shortages.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many hospitals are indeed counting on incoming residents to address provider shortages, particularly in rural or low-income areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Artur Polechshuk and Dr. Kseniia Tonkoshkurova, an engaged couple from Novi Sad, Serbia, were matched into a pediatric residency at a hospital in Kanawha County, West Virginia. The county is designated by the federal government as a medically underserved area<\/a> with a shortage of primary care providers. Out of nine first-year residents in the couple\u2019s program, three were held up by the J-1 visa suspension, Tonkoshkurova said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou can imagine how three physicians are crucial [to] health care for this small community,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s patients who will have delays. And doctors who are already there, they will work more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n