Hi! Has anyone of you heard of the hospital Valley Baptist Medical Center located at Harlingen, Texas? I was able to read a thread here mentioning that this hospital is included in the list of hospitals issuing a H1C type of visa, which is only issued by areas who have severe shortage of nurses and this shortage was due to unsafe working environment.
I just want to inquire if you have more information regarding the aforementioned health care institution because a friend of mine was interviewed by an employer from that hospital and they were offering her a non-immigrant type of working visa. I assumed it was a H1C visa, since I was also able to research in this site that H1B visas are not for people from the nursing profession. My friend passed her NCLEX and IELTS already and is currently working in a tertiary hospital. The employer told her to process her visa screen certificate first and ask for a certificate of employment from her current employer before they could process her employment, which would take 6 months. They will not pay/reimburse for the visa screen or any exam (e.g. nclex, ielts). They will only process my friend's employment and pay for the plane ticket.
I'm really worried for her. I'm also a nurse but despite the current conditions in our country, I'm willing to go through the
long and legal process than to do shortcuts coz that's what majority of my senior nurses and relatives from the US advice me to do.
Do you think it's safe for my friend to accept this offer? How unsafe are the working conditions in Harlingen, Texas? Hospitals in the Philippines, especially government hospitals, have really high nurse-patient ratios so I think she's equipped to handle that, but what if the "unsafe environment" that they are talking about also includes the residential areas?
Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
I work in VBMC and i came in through H1c. I have been here since November of 2008.My visa is valid until Feb 2011. VBMC was able to petition 30 nurses last 2008 and all of us are here. Its not bad here at all. Harlingen is a small, quiet city in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas. VBMC is a 600 bed hospital and working conditions have been good. I work in the Progressive Cardiac Care Unit and our nurse to patient ration was 1:6 or 7. And now its better, 1:4 or 5, after we came. I am paid $23 an hour plus differentials (I work nights) and I think its ok for the Cost of Living here. In my opinion the city is quite peaceful too. Not really that much crime. I think we are really lucky to be here..I mean among all the other hospitals that are able to petition through H1c and the area that they are in.
I do have a pending I140 petition with a hospital in Florida with a priority date of Jan 2006. VBMC is also willing to petition us with an immigrant visa. My question is, will they be able to get the priority from my previous petition? Thats what their lawyers are telling us, but I doubt that. Any thoughts on this? And its true even the lawyers are telling us that it there is really a possibility that we will go home if our priority dates will not be current.
Well, theres always Canada... =)
You should only go to Canada if it is what you really want and look at an average processing time of over 6 months to be processed by the province college of registered nurses,and you will have to sit and pass their exam CRNE. Yes if your PD doesn't become current when your visa expires and it is not renewed then you have to leave the US
H1C visa has just over 12 months left on it and then it expires with the likelihood on extension poor. (Due for review in 2010 and only 14 hospitals have the status to use it and many no longer use it)
H1C visa is valid for 3years and cannot be extended. If you were given an approved H1c visa in october 2009, you will be good to stay in the US until October 2012. The countdown begins the date the visa was issued. But the H1C program is good until 2010 and that means you cannot apply for it after 2010.
You can visit our hospitals website, just google it. There was no recruiter before. It was a direct hiring. I was lucky to see the add in the newspaper when they came to Manila. Sorry to inform you that there is no hiring as of now and the H1c program is going to expire this December 2009 so VBMC wouldnt be able to use this not unless the US congress will extend it. I would suggest you try Canada instead.
Silverdragon102, BSN
1 Article; 39,477 Posts
You should only go to Canada if it is what you really want and look at an average processing time of over 6 months to be processed by the province college of registered nurses,and you will have to sit and pass their exam CRNE. Yes if your PD doesn't become current when your visa expires and it is not renewed then you have to leave the US