Tex. Health & Safety Code § 12.0127 · Subchapter B. POWERS AND DUTIES OF DEPARTMENT
IMMIGRATION VISA WAIVERS FOR PHYSICIANS.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) The department, in accordance with 8 U.S.C. Section 1182(e), as amended, under exceptions provided by 8 U.S.C. Section 1184(l), as amended, may request waiver of the foreign country residence requirement for a qualified alien physician who agrees to practice medicine in a medically underserved area or health professional shortage area, as designated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, that has a current shortage of physicians.
(b) The department may charge a fee to cover the costs incurred by the department in administering the visa waiver program established under this section.
(c) To the extent allowed by federal law, the department shall provide an equal opportunity to request a waiver of the foreign country residence requirement for an individual described by Subsection (a) who agrees to practice medicine in:
(1) an area that the department determines is affected by an ongoing exposure to a disease that is designated as reportable under Section 81.048;
(2) a medically underserved area; or
(3) a health professional shortage area.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 143, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
Amended by:
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1278 (S.B. 1574), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2015.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/HS/htm/HS.12.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 d36c211b23e9ca7282e69d45829580dfb389b7a9d19015f6fbda634436e6fe99
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
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