visa retrogression

Silverdragon102, BSN · Sep 20, 2009

moved to the international forum

All nurses from all countries are affected by retrogression. Doesn't matter who you are, where you are from(born), or where you trained you are affected and currently looking at a wait of several years

NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN · Sep 20, 2009

Some people have been waiting over 5 years for their chance at a visa. Besides with our economy, US trained RN's can't find a job. There is no need to go overseas when we have unemployed RN's ourselves. There are some places who had recruited foreign educated nurses but some of their contracts were cancelled and some of them are stuck due to retrogression. So even if you find a company willing to sponsor you, you really need to look elsewhere for a job because you wont be able to come here for several years. There's a link for the visa bulletin here, check it out and see how backlogged it is. It's not a pretty site.

allnurses Guide · Sep 20, 2009

Actually, not everyone is affected. Those who are applying in the third preference employment classification are. Those who apply in other classifications (such as those applying for positions requiring masters degrees, specialization etc) are not retrogressed.

NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN · Sep 20, 2009

That's right, thanks for reminding me.

Nurse!Nurse!Hello? · Sep 22, 2009

Is US currently open in recruiting nurses from the Philippines? There is visa retrogression in the Philippines. Does that mean that any sponsoring agency or hospital cannot recruit nurses from there, but can sponsor nurses from other countries that are not under retrogression?

I don't know any facility actively recruiting foreign nurses at this time. With the downturn in the US economy, even new grad US nurses are having difficulty finding employment. Recruiting foreign nurses when US nurses are out of work doesn't make sense.

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Sep 22, 2009

I don't know any facility actively recruiting foreign nurses at this time. With the downturn in the US economy, even new grad US nurses are having difficulty finding employment. Recruiting foreign nurses when US nurses are out of work doesn't make sense.

It is also illegal, the sponsoring hospital has to show that no qualified US nurses have applied. I am guessing every new imported nurse will be look at very carefully by patients and other nurses why a US Nurse didn't get the job and US Officals will be called to investigate if the hospital/agency followed the law.

NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN · Sep 22, 2009

Actually, I've seen that in facilities that I've worked in. I've had patients ask me if the nurse knew what he or she was doing. I just smiled and said, I'm sorry but I don't know, you need to talk to the DON with your concerns.

Sadly I've worked in a facility where US nurses told this foreign educated RN "GO HOME" and I was appalled by that statement. She's been a nurse overseas for over 15 years and is an excellent one too. When I go on that floor, I don't even talk to the day shift nurses there because it was several of them that told her that. I asked her who they were and I would go to the director myself with that, but she wont tell me who. So if I ever find out who it was, I'm going to that nurse and to the director.

Arielle · Sep 22, 2009

If this is true what you are saying, then it is very sad what is happening over there. Who's fault is that the situation is like that? I don't think that foreing nurses have ruined the health system in the US, or did something wrong in this direction. But I believe that many people are mislead by their prejudice and mass media, and they forget to think objective. If a nurse do something wrong ,then she will be the subject of malpractice. In my country there are a lot of foreign doctors, unfortunetly not many foreign nurses, but patients have never asked this kind of question. I want to believe that this is an isolated case.

NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN · Sep 22, 2009

It is true from my perspective since I've seen it first hand. Well we do have a lot of questionable foreign nurses, but at the same time we also have a lot of US educated questionable nurses and also in other professions too. But I think that most people seem to look at the foreign educated people extra carefully. Unfortunately I think they're prejudice and don't even know it. You can't make judgement on others until they've given you a reason to. This particular nurse that I work with, I would NEVER question her abilities because she's a very bright nurse. Her education comes from the Philippines, and from what I was told by other nurses, she apparently went to a top notch nursing school. I can see it because she's very professional, and she can pin point each heart irregularity better than some doctors that I know.

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Sep 23, 2009

If this is true what you are saying, then it is very sad what is happening over there. Who's fault is that the situation is like that? I don't think that foreing nurses have ruined the health system in the US, or did something wrong in this direction. But I believe that many people are mislead by their prejudice and mass media, and they forget to think objective. If a nurse do something wrong ,then she will be the subject of malpractice. In my country there are a lot of foreign doctors, unfortunetly not many foreign nurses, but patients have never asked this kind of question. I want to believe that this is an isolated case.

Foreign nurses have nothing to do with current health system issues, it is the US economy. It has nothing to do with prejudice either. When nurses are unemployed in their own country, why would a hospital hire foreign nurses? Does your country give preference to non native nurses ?

What scares me more is when US residents and permanent residents go overseas with the intent to practice in the USA. Even though they have to pass the NCLEX it is not the same as US education. In the US the instructors have to have clinical staff with numerous years of experience, the schools have to be inspected, and are subject to be closed if the students don't pass the NCLEX. Yet a foreign trained nurse can go to a school that has never had a student pass a local license never mind a foreign license, but since the transcript meets guidelines they can sit for the NCLEX. Isn't that unfair to the US students who have to take out loans and wait for there turn in nursing school. If the US is going to lower standards why not allow the same for profit schools to open in the USA?

Arielle · Sep 23, 2009

I understand your point of view MedSurg32RN, and I believe that situation is not so easy for any nurse over there. But look at the other side of the coin: if an american nurse would like to go overseas, she will also have to pass a language exam and get a license in order to work in a specific country, and nobody requires her to graduate a nursing school in that country. It is the same procedure like working in the US for any foreign nurse. It doesn't matter what prestigious nursing school graduated that nurse, she will only need to fit the requirements for working over there.

Maybe it is not so fair as you say, but I just want to point out that there are also good nursing schools in Europe as far as I know and good nurses too. Sounds like a cliche, but that's the fact; I have many years of experience as a nurse in my back and I can tell this. I also travelled to different countries and talked to foreign nurses and not only and I tried to make a picture of the situation in general. The economic situation is damaged everywhere in this world, but this thing doesn't make us forget who we are or blaming one another for reaching this point in our life. Complaining is not a solution also. We have built this society and now we live in this world. Moreover it is quite difficult to make laws to please eveybody in this world. And so we reach this point asking ourself if "this is fair or not?"

Well there are a lot to say but I may deviate from the subject, which I already did, as it is about visa retrogression . I didn't mean to sound harsh or offend anybody , but I am angry with what is happening in my country too.