Is the hiring freeze/retrogression of foreign RNs over?

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I got surprised, an old acquaintance of mine sent me pictures (of their hospital orientation and their hospital ID badges showing they are RNs in that particular hospital). They flew in from the Philippines to the US less than two weeks ago to work in a big South Texas Hospital, although I didn't get additional info how they were hired and how their docs were processed. But I was wondering, are they hiring RNs from different countries again?

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Specializes in Advanced Practice, surgery.

Moved to international forums

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Retrogression is still ongoing and how they got hired could have been in several different ways, most likely they're not new grads as there aren't any visas available unless they had a priority date from years ago. They could be here on a H1b visa which is a non-immigrant visa for anybody (not just nurses) who hold a minimum of a Bachelors in a specialized field.

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Specializes in CTICU.

There is no hiring freeze/retrogression "of foreign RNs". The retrogression is a visa issue for everyone in the 3rd preference employment visa category. There are many ways they could have got there - via family visa, via older priority date visa, in EB2 category, on non-immigrant visa.

Why don't you just ask your acquaintance?

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There is no hiring freeze/retrogression "of foreign RNs". The retrogression is a visa issue for everyone in the 3rd preference employment visa category. There are many ways they could have got there - via family visa, via older priority date visa, in EB2 category, on non-immigrant visa.

Why don't you just ask your acquaintance?

Well I did e-mail her back but obviously there’s no reply yet. I posted the question in the forum because I thought someone might know the answer to it and could respond faster because I'm curious.

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Just an update: My acquaintance told me that she got here on a work visa and that it was a direct hire. Also, she didn't have any paid hospital experience-----she only volunteered in a hospital in the Philippines.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

If she has come over with a work visa and has not work experience then I am surprised she managed this. However retrogression is all to do with immigrant visa and not work visa. Work visas are getting harder to get and they are coming under more scrutiny so th erisk of going for one is not something that should be taken lightly

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Just an update: My acquaintance told me that she got here on a work visa and that it was a direct hire. Also, she didn't have any paid hospital experience-----she only volunteered in a hospital in the Philippines.

We know sometimes people slip through the cracks that shouldn't have made it, and sometimes people may have wanted to be in that persons shoes. But you get what you pay for, most of the time cheaters do get caught, and then when it's made public those people that wished they were in those shoes are glad that they aren't. Sometimes the grass isn't greener on the other side. It's best to be patient, and wait your turn because good things come to those that wait.

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Specializes in CTICU.

I don't understand how people can sleep at night, knowing that they are on a visa fraudulently and may be deported at any time. I'm too chicken for that!

It is in the agency's interest to get visas squeezed through, because they get a cut of the nurses' pay and don't care if they have to go home.

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I don't understand how people can sleep at night, knowing that they are on a visa fraudulently and may be deported at any time. I'm too chicken for that!

It is in the agency's interest to get visas squeezed through, because they get a cut of the nurses' pay and don't care if they have to go home.

Those types of people I would label as SELFISH! It's those types of people that would make me think "If you're willing to lie, and commit fraud in order to obtain a visa that you don't qualify for, then how would anybody expect you to be a deligent nurse?" Those types of people have proven that they can't be trusted. Just my :twocents:

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EASY.....Before you have a heart attack from being angry and thinking that the world is not fair, I would like to clarify that she also worked as an ICU RN in the Middle East for a short while. But in the Philippine setting, she only was a volunteer before and was not paid at all----- because she told me that in as much as she wanted to work there, there are not very many staff RN jobs available.

Just an update: My acquaintance told me that she got here on a work visa and that it was a direct hire. Also, she didn't have any paid hospital experience-----she only volunteered in a hospital in the Philippines.
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EASY.....Before you have a heart attack from being angry and thinking that the world is not fair, I would like to clarify that she also worked as an ICU RN in the Middle East for a short while. But in the Philippine setting, she only was a volunteer before and was not paid at all----- because she told me that in as much as she wanted to work there, there are not very many staff RN jobs available.

People were only responding to the information YOU put out there.

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