Worst news for RNs from India, Philippines and China

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update on may 11 2005 :

you can consider this thread as closed since information posted here became obsolete on may 11 2005, once president george w bush signed the apropriations bill in to a law to make additional 50,000 visas available for nurses. this thread was started on dec 11 2004 when the worst news hit rn community that the pd dates have been retrogressed to jan 2002 and nurses will be the hardest hit.

now its official.

pd dates for eb3 cases from india,china, philippines retrogress to jan 2002.

read the official visa bulletin at http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/frvi_bulletincurrent.html

this is worst news for the rn community who wish to migrate to us.

this means that, rns who are already in us will not be able to file i485 (aos) after dec 31 2004 till the priority dates become current. its not clear how long it will take.

those who have managed to file aos will have a huuuuuuuuuge waiting time for their gc apporval.

those who are outside us, will have a loooooooong wait

for someone who is in us and has either cgfns/ncelx (with or without visascreen), the only option is to get an employer to file for i140 and 485 before dec 31 2004. this will make them eligible for ead and legal status in us.

considering the rn shortage, there are chances that they may introduce a new visa category or an exception for nurses. depends on how hard the empoyers lobby the congress.

I agree with Suzanne and Rep that nurses from the countries affected ahould not get discouraged and just go ahead with their processing as if the visa rules did not change. Many of my friends who passed the December nurses Board exam in the Philippines are reluctant to file for immigration because of the new rules but I keep telling them that this reluctance will only delay them more. Waiting for the rules to change will not accomplish anything. If you file now, then you're one day ahead. Keep your hopes up.

You still have to go ahead with petitioning and get in line for a number, so the longer that they put it off, the longer that they will be waiting.

Hi Suzanne

U really seem to ease us troubled souls from india china n philipines.

Just as u said I hope things change for the better pretty soon.

I feel at least those of us who have cleared all hurdles n reached the interview should stand a chance.

Well God understands better n hope there will be asilver lining to this cloud!

And till then u r there around!

Hi Suzanne

U really seem to ease us troubled souls from india china n philipines.

Just as u said I hope things change for the better pretty soon.

I feel at least those of us who have cleared all hurdles n reached the interview should stand a chance.

Well God understands better n hope there will be asilver lining to this cloud!

And till then u r there around!

Hope that aha's voice be heard by the congress or the senate.

http://www.aha.org/aha/advocacy-grassroots/advocacy/hillletters/2005/050104hl_nurseimmi.html

Specializes in Medical-Surgical.
I agree with Suzanne and Rep that nurses from the countries affected ahould not get discouraged and just go ahead with their processing as if the visa rules did not change. Many of my friends who passed the December nurses Board exam in the Philippines are reluctant to file for immigration because of the new rules but I keep telling them that this reluctance will only delay them more. Waiting for the rules to change will not accomplish anything. If you file now, then you're one day ahead. Keep your hopes up.

Yes, if you file now, it will make one less day of waiting. One of the reason why they retrogress the priority dates is to erase the backlogs by the end of Fiscal Year 2006. But things will come out of the blue that we never know. Let us keep our fingers crossed that something will come out that would speed the visa processing.

Specializes in Medical-Surgical.

Thank you for the link!

Thank you for the link!

rep, one good representative has just submitted a bill.

Bill targets RN visa processing problem

January 05, 2005

To help relieve the nation's nursing shortage, Rep. Tom Lantos, D-CA, yesterday introduced an AHA-supported bill that would allow U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to reassign to qualified nurses from the Philippines, India and China unused worker visas allotted to other countries. The State Department recently announced it would no longer issue employment-based visas for workers in countries that have exceeded their annual quota for green cards, currently the Philippines, India and China. Lantos said his Health Improvement and Professionals Act would ensure that "we are putting to full use the number of workers' visas currently allowed by law, in order to fulfill a crucial and exponentially increasing health care worker shortage." For more on the bill, H.R. 139, visit http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d109query.html.

Specializes in Medical-Surgical.
rep, one good representative has just submitted a bill.

Bill targets RN visa processing problem

January 05, 2005

To help relieve the nation's nursing shortage, Rep. Tom Lantos, D-CA, yesterday introduced an AHA-supported bill that would allow U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to reassign to qualified nurses from the Philippines, India and China unused worker visas allotted to other countries. The State Department recently announced it would no longer issue employment-based visas for workers in countries that have exceeded their annual quota for green cards, currently the Philippines, India and China. Lantos said his Health Improvement and Professionals Act would ensure that "we are putting to full use the number of workers' visas currently allowed by law, in order to fulfill a crucial and exponentially increasing health care worker shortage." For more on the bill, H.R. 139, visit http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d109query.html.

Thanks again.

I hope the US Congress will immediately act on it.

From where are you? I hope you don't mind me asking.

Thanks again.

I hope the US Congress will immediately act on it.

From where are you? I hope you don't mind me asking.

I'm from Manila and still waiting for the I140 which was filed on NSC(now the slowest processing center) to be approved.

Specializes in Medical-Surgical.
I'm from Manila and still waiting for the I140 which was filed on NSC(now the slowest processing center) to be approved.

Mine (I-140) was filed in 2003 on California which was slowest at that time. It was approved exactly 11 months later last October. My employer has already paid the visa fee bills in December but according to the lawyer the visas processing for my wife and children will have to wait once our priority dates will become current.

It is a long wait for both of us. Thank you for the sites as it gives as a glimmer of hope for fast processing.

Mine (I-140) was filed in 2003 on California which was slowest at that time. It was approved exactly 11 months later last October. My employer has already paid the visa fee bills in December but according to the lawyer the visas processing for my wife and children will have to wait once our priority dates will become current.

It is a long wait for both of us. Thank you for the sites as it gives as a glimmer of hope for fast processing.

Hi there Rep, we are almost in the same situation. Mine was filed in Jan 2004, Vermont SC, got a fast approval, March 2004. I think the visa fees were paid sometime in July, got the DS230 submitted last sept to the NVC, up to now, dont know where my files are, if it is still with the NVC or in the embassy. I have ask lawyer to follow it up. With the long wait for the priority date to become current, do you think it is a wise decision to just work in a mideast country for a year or two, till the PD becomes current again? Is it really a 2-3 year wait?

Specializes in Medical-Surgical.
Hi there Rep, we are almost in the same situation. Mine was filed in Jan 2004, Vermont SC, got a fast approval, March 2004. I think the visa fees were paid sometime in July, got the DS230 submitted last sept to the NVC, up to now, dont know where my files are, if it is still with the NVC or in the embassy. I have ask lawyer to follow it up. With the long wait for the priority date to become current, do you think it is a wise decision to just work in a mideast country for a year or two, till the PD becomes current again? Is it really a 2-3 year wait?

I know you already have a case number why don't you call the US Embassy and inquire? I think it would help a lot to lessen your worries. Going to the Middle east is also a ggod idea if you were affected by this retrogression since your priority date is so far away. You can do a lot in two or three years.

We will have to know by April when the priority dates will move forward then we know how fast will the processing be.

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