New federal immigration policy could negatively affect the dental workforce, according to Barry Lyon, DDS.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced May 22 that visa holders seeking permanent residency are required to return to their home countries to apply for green cards. The agency said exceptions would only be granted in “extraordinary circumstances.”
Dr. Lyon, director of provider recruiting and onboarding at Dental Care Alliance, recently spoke with Becker’s about how the new policy could affect hiring in dentistry.
Editor’s note: This Q&A is part of a weekly series featuring Dr. Lyon focused on topics in the dental industry and DSO field. The views expressed are those of Dr. Lyon and do not necessarily reflect those of Dental Care Alliance.
This response was lightly edited for clarity and length.
Dr. Barry Lyon:
DSOs are still struggling with hiring, and the last thing they need is diminished access to potential candidates. However, a new federal policy is requiring thousands of immigrants to return to their home countries before petitioning for green cards. President Donald Trump’s continued focus on immigration enforcement and visa restrictions is beginning to ripple across the healthcare sector, and DSOs may be among the industries most affected. This may be especially critical in underserved areas and Medicaid markets, where foreign-born healthcare providers play a significant role. Immigration is generally not on a DSO’s radar, but this policy change bears watching.
DSOs can expect recruiting costs to increase, while higher H1-B filing costs, rising compensation packages and increased signing bonuses are expected to follow. Further, there will be greater competition for candidates along with longer recruitment cycles. The timing for this is not good as the industry is already facing high interest rates, inflation and lower consumer confidence.
These are not the only concerns. The dental school pipeline that DSOs count on may also be impacted. U.S. dental schools rely heavily on international students, residents and faculty. Additional immigration restrictions or visa uncertainty could create longer-term provider pipeline concerns, particularly in specialties and academic dentistry. Add to this the uncertainty regarding education loans, and you have a perfect storm of dental school pipeline roadblocks.
On the plus side, this could play out well for DSOs in one aspect. Independent practices frequently lack the recruiting infrastructure, compliance resources and compensation scale of larger organizations. The burden of recruiting, hiring and meeting compensation expectations could push some private practices toward affiliating with DSOs.
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