The United States House of Representatives has introduced companion legislation to the recently proposed Senate bill which would increase the number of immigrant visas issued to foreign doctors and nurses.
Known as the “Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act,” the new legislation, if enacted, would authorize immigrant visas to qualified foreign nationals to fill healthcare staffing shortages and drastically reduce the waiting period for immigrant visas to be issued to those foreign healthcare workers.
Like the Senate Bill, the House legislation would focus on using unused immigrant visas, as well as the following:
- Authorize 25,000 immigrant visas for foreign nurses and 15,000 for foreign doctors;
- Eliminate per-country limitations and allow these immigrant visas to be issued based on priority date;
- Enable spouses and children of these immigrant visa applicants to immigrant to the United States;
- Require the Departments of Homeland Security and Department of State to expedite processing for these immigrant visa applicants;
- Mandate the U.S. petitioner (employer) attest to the fact that in hiring a foreign nurse, a U.S. worker has or will not be displaced.
For more information on this new legislation for foreign doctors and nurses in Asia interested in obtaining an immigrant visa, contact us today at info@enterimmi.com and speak with one of our U.S. immigration lawyers in Ho Chi Minh City, Manila and Taipei.