switching to a working visa

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hey everyone! there are some visa issues which confuse me and i would appreciate any clarifications.

the US is in retrogression, so this affects the granting of immigrant visas, right? would it be possible to "switch" from an immigrant visa to a working visa? like say, for example, if i am a nurse with an employer already sponsoring my immigrant visa, but because of the retro, i am "stuck" here in the Philippines for a few more years.. so in order for me to enter the US faster and work there sooner, my employers file for a working visa instead..

and if it is possible, then why not use working visas for all nurses?

unlike PTs, OTs, and workers in other fields, why do RNs have to use immigrant visas?

thanks. :nurse:

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Theres no working visa for nurses now, they have been under the EB3.

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Theres no working visa for nurses now, they have been under the EB3.

i see....so in the event that i actually know someone who is in that position right now, let's say, a friend whose US hospital employer had already petitioned an immigrant visa for her, and in fact she's already for packet 3, but again, there's the retro, so the US hospital decided to sponsor a working visa for her now...is there something wrong with the way that case is handled? is it legal and possible for the US hospital to do the "switch"?

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Nurses do not meet the requirements of H1B visa unless they are specialised and have a bachelor's. Also previous history shows nurses were abused with working visas and paid a lot less than USC RN's. Also H1B is a lottery and no guarantee you will get one and the demand will be just the same for them but even higher because of the other professions that can apply for them also.

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Nurses do not meet the requirements of H1B visa unless they are specialised and have a bachelor's. Also previous history shows nurses were abused with working visas and paid a lot less than USC RN's. Also H1B is a lottery and no guarantee you will get one and the demand will be just the same for them but even higher because of the other professions that can apply for them also.

ah okay..when you say "specialised" does it mean your hospital experience has to be in a special unit, like ER/ OR/ ICU/ etc? what do you mean "have a bachelor's"? i assume that is a bachelor's degree in nursing? all RNs here have bachelor degrees in nursing..once we graduate college it is stated there in each diploma that each is a "bachelor of science in nursing". but perhaps you may have meant another thing.. ? :wink2:

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
ah okay..when you say "specialised" does it mean your hospital experience has to be in a special unit, like ER/ OR/ ICU/ etc? what do you mean "have a bachelor's"? i assume that is a bachelor's degree in nursing? all RNs here have bachelor degrees in nursing..once we graduate college it is stated there in each diploma that each is a "bachelor of science in nursing". but perhaps you may have meant another thing.. ? :wink2:

bedside nurses/newly qualified nurses do not meet H1b requirements. Specialised is like someone with further education/courses in a recognised area

H-1B Work Visa Eligibility Requirements: The H-1B Non-Immigrant Work Visa may be issued to applicants seeking temporary work in a "Specialty Occupation" which requires the skills of a professional. "Specialty Occupations" include e.g. accounting, computer analysts, programmers, database administrators, web designers, engineers, financial analysts, doctors, nurses, scientists, architects and lawyers. The petitions are submitted by employers based on their need for the non-U.S.-resident employee. The applicant may possess a bachelor's degree or requisite experience to make up for the lack of a master’s degree.

http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/visa_h1b.html

Also from what I can gather it is very expensive for hospitals to go the H1b route as they need to employ more people to deal with the paperwork plus if the state is unionised then many unions are against them when it comes to nurses

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ok I have a first hand experience with this. I tried to apply for H1B, the one for specially trained nurses, got a video interveiw and passed it with flying colors. They even want my petition processed premium. It was pretty much easy. 5 of my friends were also interviewed and passed. That was on April 2008, and guess what they are all now in Florida working. Seems so fast, but this is true. I withdraw my application because I have my documents completed already by the NVC.PD AUg 2006. My husband and I decided to just wait for the immigrant. I have to make a decision, so I opted to stay. But those friends of mine are already there sending me e-mails of how nice Orlando is. I just hope I made the right decision on passing that opportunity.

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And if it is for a position that you will be training for, it means that you do not have the specialty training and you need to be aware that the US government is now investigating all H1-B visas as they were designed to be used by specialists and if a new grad, there is no way that one is considered a specialist.

We are expecting to see some drastic changes come down with these visas.

And you need to be very aware that this visa can be cancelled at any time by the employer or even the US government and there will be nothing that you will be able to do to remain here if this happens.

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hi suzanne, I talked to you about this sometime ago. I e-mailed you a private message about my problem remember?. Anyways, I'm in constant communication with them and pretty much they are happy there. They are not new grads by the way. most of them are doctor-nurses, so that gives them an edge for specialty areas.

Whatever happens with their H1B visa, that is part of the risk they took.Even if it has a lot of issues, it is still an oppurtunity for a better life. Right now, they are just glad they are in the US earning their dollars.

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If they do not not have experience as an RN, then they are not considered specialists.

You are entitled to your opinion on what you wish to do, I am stating what is happening with those visas right now. Then it is up to everyone to make their own educated decision.

But having the MD with the RN license, most definitely does not make one a specialist in nursing. It is just not accepted as that.

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Specializes in NICU.
hi suzanne, I talked to you about this sometime ago. I e-mailed you a private message about my problem remember?. Anyways, I'm in constant communication with them and pretty much they are happy there. They are not new grads by the way. most of them are doctor-nurses, so that gives them an edge for specialty areas.

Whatever happens with their H1B visa, that is part of the risk they took.Even if it has a lot of issues, it is still an oppurtunity for a better life. Right now, they are just glad they are in the US earning their dollars.

Would you mind sharing the name of the agency/employer where you and your friends were given the H1-B visas? Thanks!

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ilovetiggerdear,

I have a hard time sending you a private message. PM me your ym, i'll tell you the details.

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