Rochester General Hospital in New York is under scrutiny after an “expose” was posted on X. The post claimed that 80 out of 82 resident doctors working at Rochester General are H-1B and J1 visa holders, with only 2 American doctors hired by the hospital.
The X post was made by “Expose H1B Fraud.” The post claimed that most of these H-1B and J1 visa-holding doctors who were working at Rochester General came from countries with documented USMLE cheating.
After the post went viral, the US Department of Labor’s Inspector General, Anthony D’Esposito, reposted the issue on X and asked Rochester General Hospital for information about the number of H-1B and J-1 visa holders and American doctors at the facility.
On September 27, Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito posted on X. He wrote, “Show us the numbers,” and asked Rochester General Hospital to showcase the number of H-1B and J1 visa holder doctors and American doctors who worked at the facility.
D’Esposito’s post was a request for information and did not establish that the viral hiring claim was accurate or that Rochester General Hospital had violated visa or hiring rules. Becker’s Hospital Review reported that Rochester Regional Health had received no official communication from the US Department of Labor as of September 29.
According to reports, D’Esposito said that, under President Trump’s new rules, visa abuse is under increased scrutiny. He also said that he will work with JD Vance’s White House Fraud Task Force if the country’s immigration system is being abused.
On September 29, Rochester Regional Health responded to the controversy, saying it was focused on recruiting and training qualified physicians amid physician and nursing shortages. The health system also said international physicians have long been an important part of the U.S. healthcare workforce, particularly at community-based teaching hospitals.
The system did not confirm the viral claim that 80 of 82 residents were H-1B or J-1 visa holders. It also told Becker’s Hospital Review that it had received no official communication from the U.S. Department of Labor about the issue as of September 29.
Available public data does not independently establish the 80-of-82 figure. The AMA's FREIDA database, updated August 20, 2026, lists 72 current residents in Rochester General Hospital's Internal Medicine Residency Program, with 24 residents in each year. The listing shows J-1 visa sponsorship through ECFMG but no H-1B sponsorship. Those figures cover Rochester General's Internal Medicine program specifically, rather than every residency program at the hospital.
The 80-of-82 claim could therefore refer to a broader group of residents or multiple programs, but the available public information does not establish that interpretation.
J-1 visa: Administered by the ECFMG, the J-1 non-immigrant visa allows foreign medical graduates to complete residencies and fellowships in the United States. However, under the J-1 visa, the doctor has to go back to their home country for a mandatory two-year home residency.
H-1B visa: The H-1B visa is a temporary work visa that allows a professional to work in the USA.
Being an international medical graduate (IMG) does not automatically mean that a doctor is a foreign national or holds an H-1B or J-1 visa. US citizens can attend medical schools outside the United States and are classified as international medical graduates based on where they received their medical education.
Therefore, foreign medical graduate does not necessarily mean foreign national, and neither status necessarily means that a doctor holds an H-1B or J-1 visa.
The original expose post was made on 27 Sept; however, it does not offer verified information about the ratio of foreign doctors to American doctors working at Rochester General.
The actual figures are being sought for verification by D’Esposito.
This news came right after President Trump announced new restrictions on some H-1B workers until September 2027. New rules block certain H-1B workers from entering the US unless their employers pay a $100,000 fee, though some exceptions do apply.
This news shows that the scrutiny on H-1B workers and immigration rules is extending beyond the technology sector.
(Rh/ARC/MSM)
