Work Visa for Foreign Nurses: Is there such a thing?

corbinRN · Jan 25, 2008

If you are a student, I believe a student visa is sufficient, but I don't know about the work visas.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Jan 25, 2008

Moved to the International forum.

If Canadian citizen you have an advantage as you can use TN visa and work. Foreign nurses working at the bed side nurses can only get GC and that is affected by retrogression.

suzanne4, RN · Jan 25, 2008

Canadian RNS that hold a Canadian passport and have passed the NCLEX-RN exam and have a Visa Screen Certificate may apply for and get a Nafta TN Visa, this is a treaty visa that needs to be renewed each year and will permit one to work in the US, including during the time of the retrogression.

Student visas are not work visas and do not give permission for that, only under special circumstances and with limited hours per week.

Nuieve · Jan 25, 2008

I wonder why don't they allow nurses to get working visas now. I understand that while there were easy-to-get green cards before retrogression crisis and cancellation of Schedule A, that was a solution for so-called nursing shortage, but since it's all gone now, why not introduce working visas? Why are they so stuck up that nurses MUST come in ONLY with green cards? What's wrong with good ol' working visa? Cause what happened now is that U.S. went from "Nurses, everyone, get on board!!!" to "Nurses: go away!!! we won't let you in for anything!!!". Makes no sense at all.

Just a rant.

pampangakid · Jan 26, 2008

Don't say there's no working visa for nurses b'coz there is, it's H1C , other nurses qualify for H1B if the petitioner requires bachelors degree for the job that they need.

I wonder why don't they allow nurses to get working visas now. I understand that while there were easy-to-get green cards before retrogression crisis and cancellation of Schedule A, that was a solution for so-called nursing shortage, but since it's all gone now, why not introduce working visas? Why are they so stuck up that nurses MUST come in ONLY with green cards? What's wrong with good ol' working visa? Cause what happened now is that U.S. went from "Nurses, everyone, get on board!!!" to "Nurses: go away!!! we won't let you in for anything!!!". Makes no sense at all.
Just a rant.

suzanne4, RN · Jan 27, 2008

I wonder why don't they allow nurses to get working visas now. I understand that while there were easy-to-get green cards before retrogression crisis and cancellation of Schedule A, that was a solution for so-called nursing shortage, but since it's all gone now, why not introduce working visas? Why are they so stuck up that nurses MUST come in ONLY with green cards? What's wrong with good ol' working visa? Cause what happened now is that U.S. went from "Nurses, everyone, get on board!!!" to "Nurses: go away!!! we won't let you in for anything!!!". Makes no sense at all.
Just a rant.

Most hospital are unable to hire anyone with a temporary visa any longer, as the unions will not permit it. The TN Visa is a treaty visa and very different from the H1-B visas.

H1-B visas are also very resticted now.

suzanne4, RN · Jan 27, 2008

Don't say there's no working visa for nurses b'coz there is, it's H1C , other nurses qualify for H1B if the petitioner requires bachelors degree for the job that they need.

H1-C visas are only available thru about 15 hospitals in the entire US, so it is not all over. Add into that the fact the H1-C visas are set to expire totally in the next couple of years and we do not know if they will be renewed past their time of demise as they call it.

Hospitals have not petitioned under the H1-B in more than three years due to the paperwork involved with them, and again, the fact that the unions do not permit it. Most university based hospitals have very strong unions, and we have not seen any get approved either in these past few yearsa.

Just attorneys that get more money in their pockets.

Nuieve · Jan 28, 2008

H1-C visas are only available thru about 15 hospitals in the entire US, so it is not all over. Add into that the fact the H1-C visas are set to expire totally in the next couple of years and we do not know if they will be renewed past their time of demise as they call it.
Hospitals have not petitioned under the H1-B in more than three years due to the paperwork involved with them, and again, the fact that the unions do not permit it. Most university based hospitals have very strong unions, and we have not seen any get approved either in these past few yearsa.
Just attorneys that get more money in their pockets.

Do these unions only defend hospitals jobs, or hospices too? Cause as I get it American nurses don't want to work in hospices, so what would be the harm if H1B visas (at least) only allowed foreign nurses to work in hospices - that way there'd be no threat to American nurses.

suzanne4, RN · Jan 28, 2008

Do these unions only defend hospitals jobs, or hospices too? Cause as I get it American nurses don't want to work in hospices, so what would be the harm if H1B visas (at least) only allowed foreign nurses to work in hospices - that way there'd be no threat to American nurses.

There are many Americans that wish to work in hospice, not sure where you are getting your information from. The bigger issue is that there are only 65,000 H1-B visas issued each 6 months and there is only an open window of about two to three hours to get the petition submitted. They are averaging over 150,000 petitions in just a couple of hours being submitted. Hospices are usually privately owned and do not have the resources to pay additional staff to handle the paperwork involved as well that needs to be submitted all of the time to the government. A hospice job is not exempt from being counted under this quota either.

And most hospice jobs do not require the BSN, and that is a requirement for the H1-B visa as well.

Nuieve · Jan 28, 2008

There are many Americans that wish to work in hospice, not sure where you are getting your information from. The bigger issue is that there are only 65,000 H1-B visas issued each 6 months and there is only an open window of about two to three hours to get the petition submitted. They are averaging over 150,000 petitions in just a couple of hours being submitted. Hospices are usually privately owned and do not have the resources to pay additional staff to handle the paperwork involved as well that needs to be submitted all of the time to the government. A hospice job is not exempt from being counted under this quota either.
And most hospice jobs do not require the BSN, and that is a requirement for the H1-B visa as well.

Oh, I didn't know that, about few hours windows and such. Interesting... and kind of disturbing. As for hospices work, I just came from an impression given by reading this forum for many years. Also, when I was calling hospitals and hospices looking for a job, it seemed like hospices were a lot more hungry to hire any nurse, even international with no experience like me, while hospitals were like ... "well, submit your appication and maybe... maybe... *yawn* we'll look at it". Just an impression... :)

suzanne4, RN · Jan 28, 2008

There are those that love different specialties; just like there are nurses that love burn units, there are others that would never get within a 100 feet of an entrance to one.

Nursing homes want nurses as well, and will take almost anyone that applies to them, but the issue again is with the visas. Neither of those jobs require the BSN on top of it.