January 2009 Visa Bulletin

suzanne4, RN · Nov 24, 2008

Nothing, and you really do not want it to do anything either. If you look at it from the other side and the employer no longer has work for you, then everything automatically gets cancelled by the US government and one will start over again from the beginning as if nothing ever existed.

Take the time to do some reading here, nurses are getting laid off in the US, hiring freezes are going into effect all over. If your facility has a hiring freeze in effect, then you will be getting everything cancelled out; there is no way that one will be able to start working there. What you received was a job offer letter, if no job, then no visa.

Please be very careful for what you wish for. It may not be what you want to see.

Greg08 · Nov 24, 2008

Check out Larry King interview with Michael Moore on CNN.

suzanne4, RN · Nov 24, 2008

Exactly,

prinsesatna · Nov 24, 2008

being optimistic is good but sometimes you need to face reality.

PhillyRN82 · Nov 24, 2008

Hi. Reading all of these posts for the past 3 months finally made me decide to join and share my thoughts. A sad reality, but I strongly agree with what our moderators and some of the members of this forum says on the present picture of AMERICA and its bad impact to our profession.

Like most of you here, I consider myself as a foreign-nurse who learned to love and embraced America, while at the same time still showing some degree of concern to my fellow country men, Filipinos.Proud to say,I am a graduate of one of the most prestigious nursing school in the Philippines, UST, came over to USA and worked as a nurse roughly 14 years ago. America at that time is great, booming while already boomed, splendid and such heaven..not until recently that everyone got trapped with this economic menace.

Almost evreyone is affected and solution to this problem is far at sight till this time. I've been working with one of the Biggest hospital here in Sacramento, big as it is, still has no escape to this crisis. The Hospital where I am presently working just recently announced that the Hospital's census for the past three months dropped to almost 40%, and is expecting to flunk more in the coming months, and Hospital's income went down as well. Cost effective measures were taken. The CEO had just announced that there will be job lay-offs, in fact, 50 nurses has been out of the floor already since the crisis begun, and is expecting more and more lay-offs in the coming months. Sad to say, 4 filipinos and 1 Indian were included in the said lay-off. Popular in recruiting foreign nurses in the past, but with the latest turn-out of events, CEO declared freeze in hiring local and foreign nurses indefinitely.

This is just the scenario of what is happening with my facility. There may be hundreds of facilities out there also experiencing same, maybe even worse. This economic crisis is pandemic. Amongst all, we suffer the most because we are already here, there's no way out but to find survival measures instead. I am not discouraging my countrymen to stop dreaming America, but America isn't everything. Try to look for nursing opportunities outside USA, it might be more exciting than USA NOW. Again I shall say, I maybe a FULL PLEDGE AMERICAN NOW, but I still have this concern to my kababayans, and a good advice for now is, say bye bye to your US Dream in the mean time, don't dwell to much on it. Hard to get out of depression when things wont work at all.

Nothing, and you really do not want it to do anything either. If you look at it from the other side and the employer no longer has work for you, then everything automatically gets cancelled by the US government and one will start over again from the beginning as if nothing ever existed.
Take the time to do some reading here, nurses are getting laid off in the US, hiring freezes are going into effect all over. If your facility has a hiring freeze in effect, then you will be getting everything cancelled out; there is no way that one will be able to start working there. What you received was a job offer letter, if no job, then no visa.
Please be very careful for what you wish for. It may not be what you want to see.

RNGrad2006 · Nov 24, 2008

What are your guesses about the coming January 2009 VB?
Maybe all those awesome positive optimistic thoughts and prayers can somehow alter the VB.

I know the negative feedback that is posted these days must be really frustrating but the reality is that if I had not come to Arizona in 2006 I don't think it would be possible anymore. When I came they were actively recruiting but things are really different now. It is hard for AMERICANS to get jobs as new grads so if people don't have experience there would be little incentive to pay extra to recruit a new grad foreign RN. I realize it is disappointing to hear but it is true. Arizona has typically been in very short supply of nurses but now they are talking about lays offs even in the hospital where I work. In Arizona we have typically had a lot of "snow birds" that definitely make for a busy winter season but that doesn't seem to be the case this year. The economy is really effecting the decisions people are making right now. I would expect the retrogression issue not to be solved anytime soon.

PhillyRN82 · Nov 24, 2008

Yes. Reality is reality, and we are not living in any sort of fantasy. A wake up call to everyone. If things would be "A back to the future", I would never consider working in America, definitely not now, when america is crying out loud. The unemployment rate is getting higher each day, and if there'll be candidates to consider for any post, it will be AMERICANS. Like a mother faithful to her children, America is too, faithful to her citizens. I am really sorry to tell this, but these are nothing but facts. Facts to consider. I know how brilliant Pinoys are, I bet after realizing these things, You'll have some other better plans out.

I know the negative feedback that is posted these days must be really frustrating but the reality is that if I had not come to Arizona in 2006 I don't think it would be possible anymore. When I came they were actively recruiting but things are really different now. It is hard for AMERICANS to get jobs as new grads so if people don't have experience there would be little incentive to pay extra to recruit a new grad foreign RN. I realize it is disappointing to hear but it is true. Arizona has typically been in very short supply of nurses but now they are talking about lays offs even in the hospital where I work. In Arizona we have typically had a lot of "snow birds" that definitely make for a busy winter season but that doesn't seem to be the case this year. The economy is really effecting the decisions people are making right now. I would expect the retrogression issue not to be solved anytime soon.

greenjungle · Nov 24, 2008

It's great that we're hearing all these posts that really confirms the reality of the crisis in America. This will wake up the hundreds (half a million more likely) of thousands of Pinoy RNs all dreaming of immigrating to go find a job anywhere else but the USA, or to take up that course that they really loved before they were forced into nursing because their parents all thought it was the big and sure ticket out of the Philippines.

With this situation, the January VB will probably be another awful announcement, so nurses had better get on with their lives instead of waiting for the American immigration dream that just turned an impossible one.

All that cheerful, bountiful optimism and prayer won't change anything about reality. Life is harsh and unfair, and that's the truth.

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Nov 24, 2008

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/21/60minutes/main4625729.shtml

Immigrant Widows Left In Limbo Once On A Path To Permanent Residency, Some Widows Of Americans Face Deportation

It seems America is getting tougher on immigrants, and sadly some have kids who are American Citizens.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Nov 25, 2008

Although there are a lot from the Philippines we do have to include other countries as many others also have high input of nurses not just the Philippines

velocity25 · Nov 25, 2008

Well, I happen to know that some parts of california and other parts of NY are still hiring RNs.That's according to my RN friends and relatives living and working in the area. I think it depends on the state or area really. A lot of foreign nurses were already given visas the past 2 months, and their job offer still stands, which is a good sign. So to all you foreign nurses out there, please don't loose hope. Hang in there. This economic crisis is not a permanent thing. For how long it continues, nobody knows. America has been the top economy in the world for so long, it's like a cycle, what goes up, comes down also. But I am very hopeful that things will turn around very soon. Nobody knows what the next VB will be, but I hope it brings great news.