[galvestonrn]

Suzanne4 you might not be the most popular person in this forum but I really APPRECIATE you. You are frank, honest and you just want to tell the plain truth (although some people do not like this). Retrogression is BRUTAL. People think that the lifting of retrogression will open the floodgates for foreign nurses to come to the U.S. I am a foreign national educated in the U.S. (ADN). However, prior to July 2007, I was in the same boat waiting for the opportunity to work legally in the U.S. I never felt I am entitled to anything. I waited patiently for my "turn" to come which finally came when my wife's PD became current. Yes, due to my wife's petition (she's a special ed. teacher) I am now able to work full-time in one of the best hospitals in our area.
I am grateful for having a vocation that allows me to help people, use the skills I acquired and be a productive member of the community. Again, I do not feel that the U.S. government is entitled to give me anything (Thank you Lawrence, my "kababayan" for saying that. As others seem to feel that the U.S. MUST hire them or else. . .). In fact, the opposite is true. I feel that I have to constantly work hard to prove to everyone that a foreign nurse is a team player, hard working, highly motivated individual and most important in all, an asset in the workplace.

[Alexk49]

In the spirit of International Nursing, I would encourage anyone who has the passion for nursing to become a nurse. Many new graduates have very unrealistic job expectations such as not having to work off shift or holidays. New Graduates don't realize that there are times you are the nurse, nursing assistant and housekeeping. New Graduates have a hard time adjusting to more than one patient. It is the responsibility of the experienced nurses to give the new nurses their wisdom .

No one should go into nursing as an avenue for immigration, it should be for the reason they want to be a nurse. It breaks my heart to read, that newly graduated international nurses are paying hundreds of dollars to take NCLEX and an application for a license for a state that will not issue a license without a social security number. In my opinion they are flushing their money down the drain. Who is advising these nursing students to be a nurse when there is no employment in their home country? I think Suzanne is doing international nurses a service of informing the realities of coming to the United States to be a nurse especially a new nurse without any nursing experience when there are many new licensed nurses not finding employment.

[suzanne4]

What you are not understanding is that these bills are not quick fixes to any problem, nver have been and never will be. And there has always been a limit as to the number of green cards issued per year. We are seeing more and more going into nursing, but the fact remains that there are only 140,000 EB-3 visas issued per year and that included spouses and children. And also other professions, not just nurses. Even if just nurses, would not make a dent in the number that are waiting for visas.

With over 950,000 enrolled in nursing schools in the Philippines, no jobs that pay for them there, and less than 10,000 visas allotted for that country, then you have the makings of a national disaster, and there; not here.

Even with going to grad school here, depending on the country of birth, there may still be a wait to get a visa to work here when one is done. And all of the certifications must be completed before one can be petitioned for the EB-2 and that means licensure completed as well.

You can say what ever you want about my posting, but people need to be aware that things are not going to be the rosy picture that you here out of the US, things are quite different here.

And sure, agencies can spring up all over, they just sell people to the highest bidder in many cases and could care less about the nurse. Some are actually involved in what we could refer to as slave trading and nothing more than.

When one is now going to attend school with the idea that they will automatically get to come to the US right away, they need to be very aware that this is not going to happen. There are no longer ways to adjust from a tourist visa or even a student visa at this time once the OPT is completed.

[suzanne4]

And for those that think that I am against foreign nurses coming here and tha the floodgates are going to open since there are so many more agencies that are now operating. But you are not aware of one major thing when you sign with them, and what they are hoping for: All of those contracts have large cancellation fees and if you sign and then cancel, you are going to owe them much more money for doing that and that is where they are going to be making their money.

There are a few agencies out there that actually put the cancellaton fee into effect as soon as you sign with them and even if it is just a week later, the cost to you for that one signature is a whopping $8,000 US and up to $45,000 if you back out later on. So yes, agencies are more than happy to sign you and hope that you will cancel, they get money that way.

Looking at it from the other side: Why is an agency going to invest thousands of dollars for immigration fees and attorneys, etc., and not be able to get reimbursed for that for several years now? Makes no sense at all if their return on their money is not going to happen in the forseeable future. And then add in the surety bonds that are required out of India in the sum of about $20,000 US before the nurse can even leave for the US and have never seen one agency return it either.

Any of can say what you want, but I have never been known to sugar-coat anything and I am not going to start. Everything that I have said would happen has, and you do not see your agencies being correct on much of anything at all. We are still seeing agencies promising that if you sign with them, they will have you in the US in just a few months, but the fact remains that they do not issue visas, only the US government and they are not doing that right now.

If one is not already in the pipeline with petitioning it is going to be even longer than the five years for many, as there are more and more that are wishing visas, but no increase in the number issued.

Expect the US to tighten requirements and we are already seeing states doing it and that is what I said would happen and many of you can see that by CA now as well. They are requiring the local license and others are following.

There are areas in the US where new grads that are actually American can not even find a job, so why would a foreign nurse expect to be hired in those areas? Just not going to happen. And just because someone went to nursing school in their country, does not make it a requirement that the US must provide a visa for them to work here.

[sofia_815]

Too many nurses including their spouses and children are applying in the USA-- and greencards have limited numbers per year, even if Retrog is lifted--Retrog will happen again and again--as applicant influx exhaust the number of visas and these nurses will not stop trying--they will still take their chances unless NCLEX testing centers in foreign countries would close down..

[suzanne4]

Even with this bill that we have been hearing about for months and have not seen any forward motion with, it is not going to make a dent in the bucket of those that are waiting. Remember that it is only for 20,000 visas each year x three years.

And right now there are many more applicants in the pipe-line and not enough visas to go around. And even add in the 800,000 petitions that were submitted last summer and the fact that only 140,000 green cards per year under the EB-3 category, that is why it is going to be years for many of you to even have a chance. And that is what I am always very upfront about. Sorry that the employers are not. I do not get paid for offering advice, the agencies are trying to sell you and make money.

Your choice, and they also do not issue visas or have anything to do with the process at all.

[Turtle08]

Originally Posted by suzanne4

Even with this bill that we have been hearing about for months and have not seen any forward motion with, it is not going to make a dent in the bucket of those that are waiting. Remember that it is only for 20,000 visas each year x three years.

And right now there are many more applicants in the pipe-line and not enough visas to go around. And even add in the 800,000 petitions that were submitted last summer and the fact that only 140,000 green cards per year under the EB-3 category, that is why it is going to be years for many of you to even have a chance. And that is what I am always very upfront about. Sorry that the employers are not. I do not get paid for offering advice, the agencies are trying to sell you and make money.

Your choice, and they also do not issue visas or have anything to do with the process at all.

But does this mean if you are in the USA if this Bill comes into affect and numbers are current you can file for adjustment of status so if your already in the usa on a valid visa this bill will help a great deal.

[Silverdragon102]

Originally Posted by Turtle08

But does this mean if you are in the USA if this Bill comes into affect and numbers are current you can file for adjustment of status so if your already in the usa on a valid visa this bill will help a great deal.

Well for a start it wouldn't be fair on everyone else who has been doing it properly but would image it will not make visas current but they will start processing the ones already waiting

[lawrence01]

Originally Posted by Turtle08

But does this mean if you are in the USA if this Bill comes into affect and numbers are current you can file for adjustment of status so if your already in the usa on a valid visa this bill will help a great deal.

Also, adjusting status may not be as easy as before for people coming from tourist and student visas. It is expected that USCIS may not allow concurrent filing of the I-140 and I-485 (AOS) anymore. Applicants would have to wait until the I-140 (job petition) be approved first until the I-485 (AOS) be allowed to be filed. So, if it will take 6-15 mos. for an I-140 to be approved depending on w/c Service Center is processing it then it is more likely that someone visiting the US exhaust his valid legal stay before the I-140 gets approved.

*See: http://allnurses.com/forums/f75/poss...-a-301143.html

Couple this with the news (I'll look further on to this and make a thread about it) I just heard that all visitors to the US (including from countries that do not need a visa to visit) will now have to give their name at least 72 hours before their planned flight then some people may not even be allowed to even fly going to the US.

[suzanne4]

Even if this bill were to pass, the numbers still are not going to be made current as there were over 800,000 that were petitioned last summer and the fact is that there are still only 140,000 visas per year.

We are not expecting anything to open up as far as Adjustment of Status for several years if you do the math just based on those numbers and add into it the fact that that number does not even include those that are going thru the CP processing.

No way in the expected future to go the AOS route, just not going to happen. Things are actually going to get tighter and not easier.