End of Nursing migration?

agp_ph · Nov 28, 2007

With no end in sight, and a retrogression that stands at five years for nurses, this might be the end of nursing migration to the US for RNs from the Philippines. No bills are in sight, and hundreds of thousands of H1B workers are already in the US waiting for adjustment of status, competing with the scarce visas allocated to the Philippines. The future looks bleak, and the December VB will most likely show very little movement. The move toward other countries than the US only, could be a very wise decision for all PI nurses.

Your absolutely right, luckily I made back-up plans back then. I applied as independent immigrant in Canada back in 2005. Months before I applied for the U.S. I thought I would be in the U.S. first but looks like my Canada application will be process first than the U.S. since they are already processing 2004 applications. Maybe in 2008 I will be hearing from them.

suzanne4, RN · Nov 28, 2007

This is what we have been saying for sometime. And the number of nursing grads from PI is only increasing but no place for them to get experience in their field. So the number of applicants for the same maximum total of visas per year from there and the chances get much smaller.

There is definitely no guarantee that passing of the NCLEX exam and finding an employer will get you the green card. No matter what the agency promises. They do not grant visas.

rkm · Nov 28, 2007

With this definite end in migration to the US for PI RNs, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the Middle East are alternative work areas. Quite a lot of new graduates are floating around the joke (is it really a joke?) on marrying American citizens just to be able to get into the USA, now that the chances of going there for Philippine nurses via the work visa are virtually zero. This event was long in coming, but now it's finally here, the nursing demand for the US may finally be over for the hundreds of thousands of PI nurses.

"All things, good or bad must come to an end."

Silverdragon102, BSN · Nov 28, 2007

With this definite end in migration to the US for PI RNs, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the Middle East are alternative work areas. Quite a lot of new graduates are floating around the joke (is it really a joke?) on marrying American citizens just to be able to get into the USA, now that the chances of going there for Philippine nurses via the work visa are virtually zero. This event was long in coming, but now it's finally here, the nursing demand for the US may finally be over for the hundreds of thousands of PI nurses.
"All things, good or bad must come to an end."

In a way doesn't help when some countries have more nursing students or even qualified nurses and don't have the capacity for work or gain experience. Some countries require 1-2 years of experience before they will accept you as a foreign nurse so how are countries with over demand going to cope if more or all countries decide to adopt this rule.

suzanne4, RN · Nov 29, 2007

Do not blame the US for this, but look at your country for producing many more nurses than they need with the expectation that they would go someplace else and send money home. This is not a new phenomenon, but one that has been going on for years. And there has been times thru the years when there have been no visas available for nurses to work in the US from any country.

No one should be going into nursing with the expectation that they will automatically get a visa for the US. This has not been the case for sometime. And with the fact that many are going to school with the sole goal of getting a green card, and for no other reason.

How do you explain all of the accountants, judges, attorneys, etc. from PI that are now in second courser programs? And it is not going to happen for them.

Nurses go into nursing because that is what they wish to do, and that alone. And if there are no visas for the US, then you get pro-active for your career, and get experience in another country. And I am sure that you have noticed that many countries require two years of recent experience before they will even grant you a visa.

So, suggest that you have a good read about some other countries and accept what is going on in the US now. And the fact that there are now over 630,000 in nursing school there, no jobs in your country, and the fact that the US only grants less than 10,000 visas for those from your country under the EB-3 cateogry and that includes dependents as well, and not just for nurses. So you are looking at ony a couple of thousand nurses at the most if you add in the others, and the number of applicants far outweighs the supply. And it is only going to get worse.

rkm · Nov 30, 2007

It is true that most if not all of the current crop of PI nursing students and their parents have the idea that their children will surely go to the USA. That is not the situation now. The US is now closed to PI nurses due to absence of visas. There will be a glut of jobless nursing graduates in the PI starting now. But nobody is listening, judging by the sheer number of students going into nursing. It's the only hot course now. And everybody will run into a brick wall.

rkm · Nov 30, 2007

With more than 300,000 pending applications for AOS under EB3, the chances for a PI RN to leave the PI as an immigrant is zero for the next five years, or more if no Schedule A for nurses is created (the chances are very low). The PI RNs can kiss the great American Dream goodbye.

potatomasher · Dec 1, 2007

With more than 300,000 pending applications for AOS under EB3, the chances for a PI RN to leave the PI as an immigrant is zero for the next five years, or more if no Schedule A for nurses is created (the chances are very low). The PI RNs can kiss the great American Dream goodbye.

But it's not the end of the world yet after that, right?

:-)

lawrence01 · Dec 1, 2007

But it's not the end of the world yet after that, right?
:-)

No one really knows for sure but it could be very long and esp. for those who have not even started the whole process yet.

I also don't agree with the term, 'permanent retrogression'. I think those 2 words should not even be used at the same time. Yes, it could be very long... right now the current VB states that it would be 5-6 years since the cut-off dates says 2002 and 2001 for some countries but saying 'permanent retrogression' is exaggerating it a bit, at least in my opinion. Even the Family-based petitions are in a very long retrogression (anywhere bet. 10-20 years depending on the country and what specific FB category) but it is still there and available, albeit in a very long retrogression. And specifying only one country (PI) to be affected by it is also in my humble opinion, an exaggeration. All countries are affected.

And it is not the end of nursing migration. It could be very long or very slow but nonetheless still there. The "Schedule A" sub-category just made it fast-track when it was available.

suzanne4, RN · Dec 1, 2007

With more than 300,000 pending applications for AOS under EB3, the chances for a PI RN to leave the PI as an immigrant is zero for the next five years, or more if no Schedule A for nurses is created (the chances are very low). The PI RNs can kiss the great American Dream goodbye.

It is actually over 800,000 if you add in the dependents and they get a visa as well, so need to be counted.

This is what we have been saying for sometime, but others have not wanted to listen. There is no reason that the US must take all that wish to work here, and if you add in the major fact that there are less than 10,000 visas total for those under the EB-3 category from PI per year you can see why I keep repeating myself. And that number is not just for nurses but other professions as well, and the dependents again.

rkm · Dec 8, 2007

The January 2008 VB will most likely show more evidence that the Retrogression really marks the halt of nursing migration. And more nurses, in the thousands are graduating from th PI and all expect to go to the US, which is impossible.