Russia’s doctors need new homes: Why not America?

America has long welcomed the world’s tired, poor, huddled masses. Yet we also want energetic, educated, and independent immigrants.

Last week, the Biden administration announced a plan to make it easier for high-skilled Russians to immigrate to the United States. The plan would allow Russians with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math to get a visa without first getting approval from an employer. President Joe Biden’s team wants to encourage the brain drain from Russia and address workforce shortages in America, too.

But for Russian physicians, there’s a big caveat: They can come, but they can’t practice medicine. No matter how much training and experience a Russian doctor has, and no matter how large the state’s physician shortage, those doctors cannot practice medicine without special permission from their new state’s medical boards. And state medical boards require all doctors to spend years training after medical school through a “residency” program in the U.S. or Canada.

Read the full article in the Washington Examiner.