Nurse Relief Act and Other Proposed Employment-related Legislation
May 15, 2008 - It's a pleasure to say that Comprehensive Immigration Reform is not the dead horse that it appeared to be! In the last month, there have been 3 bills proposed in the House, the most recent of which is the bi-partisan Emergency Nursing Supply Relief Act, H.R. 5924. The bill would provide 20,000 green-cards per year for RNs and PTs; do away with the numerical limitations for spouses and children; provide that the USCIS must act upon the I-140 petitions within 30 days of submission, and charge employers a surcharge of $1,500 per RN unless the employer is located in a federally-designated medically-underserved area.
The other bills would recapture 225,000 employment and family-based green-cards and would eliminate the per-country quotas for EB visas and aim to prevent future losses of family and employment-based immigrant visas.
Follow the Bills:
|
TN 3-year Rule Proposed 5/9/2008
This classification works for Nurses, PTs, OTs, Pharmacists, Medical Lab Techs, Physicians: The USCIS published a proposed rule in the Federal Register that would increase the maximum period of stay that a TN can remain in the USA before seeking an extension, from 1 to 3 years. This also applies to TD dependents and to extensions of TN and TD classification.
For more information on the proposed classification: |
Our Message to Healthcare Employers
Continue to file Schedule A I-140 petitions for nurses and PTs - get them in line and get the 1st phase of case processing approved through the USCIS. If you are sitting on the fence in the 'wait and see' mode' once retrogression lifts, it will take you a year to catch up while other employers are finishing up phase 2 of case processing at the US Consulate and bringing personnel into the USA! Also, consider Mexican and Canadian TNs as a solution to the current lengthy Schedule A delays. TN holders can immediately reduce the high costs/reliance on temp and travel nurses. Also, if any of the above bills pass, it will be much easier to overcome the nonimmigrant intent issues for TN holders and file for permanent residency. |
