STRANDED IN DC 03/18/07
My apologies for not updating sooner, but I (Chris) have been stranded in Washington DC for the last two days. As some of you may know, a major ice/snow storm blanketed most of the US’ east coast. My original flight home was for Friday evening. I finally managed to get a flight out Sunday morning – about 40 hours after my original flight!
Last week’s Washington trip was very interesting. Sherry and Chris haven’t had a chance to compare notes, but I can say that there is definitely support for a Nurse Recapture visa amendment outside of the CIR legislation. There is a good shot (50-50?) that we get our amendment attached to some piece of legislation in the next 60-90 days. Success probably will depend more on whether the Democratic leadership allows amendments to be attached to omnibus bills. There is no real animosity for our bill, outside of one or two isolated politicos, and those few can probably be swayed. We still missed a big chance with the 9/11 legislation, but the opportunity for relief is still very real.
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42 Responses to this article
Dear HLG,
Thanks for the update and your effort to push Nurse Recapture bill.
We have waited so long and I am sure all of are happy to hear the time frame of 60-90 days to get something going. I hope we will get more updates on your trip as Sherry and Chris do compare there notes.
I had asked this in previous post too and going to ask again in this one.
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I have everything ready like – i got my license, visa screen certificate and also my employer in CA is willing to file for me. I filled up all of my form and I already sent it to the lawyer.
As i am already in US (H2), the question is if my lawyer files the petition for me, will i be able to get at least work permit and start working?
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We would like to keep hearing from you on the new development as it happens.
Thanks again for your support for us.
God bless you all.
Thanks.
i am really losing hope with every passing month, what i read everywhere is that nothing outside CIR is possible and CIR itself is quite unlikely to get through atleast this year. Do we have no support from the american hospital association this time, as they were quite vocal last time when retrogression set in back in 2005.
If a powerful senator didnt allow the bill to be attached this time then what are the odds of things happening ortherwise??What happened to the healthcare lobby which was presumably very strong??
I dont know as how to be a part of the solution, with no end in sight. I have no faith in the passage of CIR and recapture is the only means for a solution.
Hope something happens soon, this 50/50 chance looks pretty slim to me. Thanks anyway for keeping us in touch with the things and keeping the hope alive!!!!
Chris, thanks for the updates.
Dave from Michigan
Happy St Patricks Day. Thanks for the update Chris.
I know that there’s a slim chance for the Hunchinson amendment to be included in the S4 bill. I just want to express my disappointment to some law makers who’s trying to mix the proffesional and legal immigrant to illegal immigrant.
I’m not trying to be prejudice but this is really upsetting on my part. My oppinion is CIR is not really necessary at this time.America is in deep big hole, theres a problem in Economy plus the Iraq War. I think what the Law Makers need to do is to separate the LEGAL immigrant to ILLEGAL immigrant to make it easier. I think this is more straight forward to do and for the benefits of all. Troy Phils/Ireland
Key question HLG,
what is the scenario if Democratic leadership DOES NOT allow amendments to be attached to omnibus bills…will the amendment just stay in limbo forever….a 50-50 chance does not sound fantastic but offers some hope…are you being slightly optimistic with the ratio re our chances?
Sorry, my morale is slightly down today andfell a real need for prompt answer to this question.
Am off overseas toady and will send letter to Times from there. Thx to person who supplied address re The Times….Mary Kennedy
Dear, HLG
I agree with the first comment regarding the time frame. It doesn’t matter wheather it will last for 60 or 90, or 180 days… But from my point of view another piece of information is more relevant – we have only 50% shanse that the ammendment will be attached to the bill, and the chanses that it will pass with the omnibus bill are tiny(Hutchinson ammendment was attached to the “express omnibus” 9\11 bill and it failed to pass)…it is really dissapointing…:::(((
I have asked these questions in the previous post and I am asking them again, because I suppose that a stand alone bill about immigration or a specific bill about nursing has more chances to pass before the CIR:
Are there any news from the Committee on the Judiciary about Mr. COLEMAN’s S. 646: A bill to increase the nursing workforce? It was introdused a month ago…Are there any progress?
What do you think about Kennedy’s bill brought back from last session?
Do we have other alternatives now?
HLG, do you think there is a way how we, who are affected by retrogression could help you and ourthelves in this situation? we are 50000 or more health professionals, I hope together we can find a way to resolve the situation!
Nurses and Phisicians, if you have ideas how to fix the situation , please do not hesitate to post them!
HLG, thanks for all you are doing for us!
HLG,
What was the impression regarding the time frame for passage of the CIR ?
Also, I am hearing some attorneys putting a lot of hope on the SKIL bill. What specific benefits does this bill provide for the RN’s and there families.
All information is deeply appreciated as always.
Hey guys,
What about this letter i made.
US NURSING SHORTAGE A ” NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERN”
The nursing shortage that is sweeping through the US is already at a level upgraded from a health crisis to national security concern, according to the report issued by the Institute for Public Policy at Michigann State University, (MI,USA).
In the event of bioterrorism, for example, input from the health sector is required, the public will demand education and personel will be needed to screen symptoms, give immunisations and of course care for the people who fall victim to such an event and US simply do not have the workforce to handle that kind of situation.Whether we like it or not it is a fact that the US do not produce enough nurses and PT to take care of our own people.Nationwide, it is predicted that by 2020 it will reach to at least 400,000 fewer nurse available to provide the health care needs of the American people, thus patient safety is threatened, health care quality is diminished and the ability to respond to a mass casualty event is severely compromised This impending crisis will impact the very security of our society if definitive steps are not taken to address its underlying cause.
There are countries that are producing more than enough nurses, Philippines, India, China and more, willing to come and give their services to our own people and yet being prevented by this retrogression.I have been a nurse for many years and I have yet to see that America will acknowledge the need to solve the issue of nursing shortage. The thought saddens me that the solution is just within reach,and nobody dare to care. The recapture of visas for Schedule A workers is a must and we have to act now. Remember, from birth to death and all the various forms of care in between are attended by the knowledge, support and the comforting touch of our nurses.
So guys, post your coment about this letter. I still have to decide what paper to post it to.Maybe add on to it, you are welcome.
ICU nurse in DC
Guys, does anyone here know how to check your status at NVC? I have already paid my visa bill last October 2006. The problem is that it was through money order and it is only good for one year. If this retrogression will not be lifted anytime soon, then I am sure I will have more problems then. I bet that every one of us has her/his own story and conflicts entangled with the current situation, mine is just an example. My employer has been waiting; I hate to make her wait any longer. Most of all, we Filipinos have spent much on this. I for one have no agency and so I do all the bills myself for the employer would only pay us back when we get there. Everything, from exam expenses, reviews, to travel expenses for the NCLEX, etc, etc. We made our sacrifice, we did our part with all of our honesty. We nurses, only ask the US political body to hear our cry.
I understand the chances of getting this ammendment passed outside CIR are slim. But if we cant get this ammendment passed outside CIR, we will be in a big jam. CIR is unlikely to get through anytime soon given the deep divisions on this issue. We should should try to get as much visibility for this issue as possible.
Besides writing to NY Times and the Wash Post we should write to organizations like the AARP. We should talk to all our co-workers and enlist their support for this. We should start some kind of a signature campaign and send those to important legislators like Norm Coleman, Harry Reid and Nancy Palosi. This ammendment looks like our only hope of getting something done this year. Let us do all we can to get this passed.
oh my god! it means we still have to wait for atleast another 2-3 months? and the chances are very slim……….
Here is the article I submitted to the New York Times:
FIXING OUR BROKEN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM THROUGH LEGAL IMMIGRATION by Scott K. Fallis
Dear Sir/Madam,
I would like to comment on the recently published article “Death Rate Higher in Heart Attack Patients Hospitalized on Weekends, Study Finds” on March 15, 2007 that reported that heart attack patients entering New Jersey hospitals on weekends had a higher mortality rate than patients arriving during the week. According to the Dr. Donald Redelmeier, a professor at the University of Toronto health department, due to a lack of medical personnel working on weekends, patients didn’t receive the same quality of emergency medical treatment that could be expected on weekdays. This shortage of on-duty medical staff on weekends, according to William J. Kostis who led the study, meant that one patient in a hundred potentially died unnecessarily because of a lack of trained medical professionals working on weekends. New Jersey is not alone in having trouble coping with a constant and increasing shortage of medial staff employed to provide proper health care to patients. In all fifty states and especially in rural areas, hospitals are severely understaffed and patients are faced with bigger and bigger lines in emergency rooms and have to wait longer and longer to receive their medications, speak to a doctor or nurse, have an operation or even get a bed in a hospital.
Medical reform is something America cannot put on the backburner, as a crisis in our health care system is looming large. For anyone who has ever been inside a US hospital, it is commonly known that the main channel of communication is with a registered nurse. The current patient to nurse ratio is 20:1 and it is projected by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that by the year 2020 there will be over 800,000 nursing vacancies in the USA. American researchers are on the cutting edge of medical science and America has some of the best research centers and hospitals in the world but the quality of service as well as the health and safety of patients is being jeopardized by the lack of health care professionals such as registered nurses and physical therapists working in U.S. hospitals. There is no way that nursing schools can cope with the ever increasing demand for qualified RNs and the only logical and viable solution is to promote immigration of qualified, licensed registered nurses from such places as South Korea, the Philippians, India, Canada and Mexico. Before an immigrant nurse can step foot in a US hospital, they must take and pass an assortment of exams including NCLEX, IELTS or TOELF; receive a CGFNS VisaScreen Certification and go through and fill out an enormous amount of paperwork as part of the immigration process. NCELX is the same test American nursing students must take and pass to receive their nursing license and IELTS/TOELF are English language proficiency tests that have very high standards for passing and CGFNS revues the applicants educational and professional background and experience to make sure it is consistent with US accepted nursing standards and issues a VISASCREEN Certificate once all requirements are met. So, immigrant nurses are in every way as qualified as their American counterparts and also have the added advantage of being bi- and multilingual and willing to work shifts that American RNs usually shun (overnight and weekends). America needs to welcome overseas nursing professionals who are ready, eager and able to shore up the current shortage so that Americans can receive the kind of medical care they not only want but also deserve. At present, due to Schedule A retrogression since last November, immigrant RNs and PTs who have been waiting years for their chance to come and work in the US are unable to obtain a work visa and their lives are in limbo. Other countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Kuwait and UAE openly welcome and recruit RNs and PTs with hassle free visa procedures and offer extremely competitive compensation packages and America will lose the opportunity to hire many of these workers if it doesn’t act soon to end retrogression.
Last week, America missed a great opportunity to relieve the terrible nursing shortage when the “Hutchison Amendment” was removed from Senate Bill #4. S4, also known as the 9/11 bill. Senator Kay Hutchison’s amendment would have allocated 90,000 visas (Schedule A) for nurses and physical that would have gone far to alleviate the severe shortage of RNs and PTs in US hospitals and ensured a dramatic improvement in the level of health care and services currently being provided to patients. It was a terrible mistake not attaching the “Hutchison Amendment” to the 9/11 bill because hospitals in New York, New Jersey and throughout the US are already ill-equipped to handle the constant flow of patients seeking medical attention so how would they deal with a sudden surge of thousands or tens of thousands of wounded and dying patients if another catastrophe, natural or manmade strikes again. If another 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina occurred, thousands of lives could be lost because Congress so far hasn’t passed the necessary legislation to increase the number of Schedule A visas and allow RNs and PTs from overseas to fulfill the ever increasing demand for their services and skills in US hospitals.
It is unconscionable that the Senate failed to see the link between Homeland Security and meeting urgent hospital staffing needs. Whether or not disaster strikes, the fact remains that Americas will continue to receive inadequate patient care and suffer and die unnecessary until Congress ends retrogression and offers Schedule A relief. Some in Congress want to avoid piecemeal legislation that could solve the nursing shortage and include it as part of the controversial Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR). CIR is primarily focused on dealing with the millions of illegal Mexican workers and other illegal immigrants already in the US. It is ridiculous to hold the US healthcare system hostage to this entirely unrelated issue as RNs and PTs applying for immigrant visas have followed the rules of legal immigration and have waited in a very long line for their chance to come, live and work in America as so far we, as Americans, are shutting them out. The best message Congress can send on the issue of immigration is that America is still a land of opportunity and immigrants are welcome to come if they can positively contribute to American society and are willing to follow the rule of law. A government that ignores the plight of highly skilled and desperately needed immigrants is sending a message that the American system is broken, illogical and self-contradictory.
I am convinced that the average American has no idea that hard-working, qualified, decent people are waiting years for the chance to be employed by American hospitals and care for American citizens. Registered Nurses and PT’s are following the rules and laws of legal immigration but Congress seems too distracted by the Iraq War and the upcoming Presidential elections to fix our broken immigration system. I ask all Americans interested in fixing our immigration system and guaranteeing hospitals have adequate numbers of medical staff to provide patients with proper care to write their lawmakers in the House and Senate and ask them to pass legislation as soon as possible to allow foreign-born registered nurses and physical therapists to obtain their Schedule A visas so they can come and work in US hospitals.
By Scott K. Fallis
3F 289-11 YONHI
3 Dong SOE DAEMUNGU
Seoul, 120-830
KOREA
what happend to the declaration that HLG “has learned that we will have the amendment atttached to another bill by easter” what has change since lsat week??
While I appreciate very much what you are doing you have to understand that you are our only source of information, and we trust you a great deal!
while you say that you learned that it will be, we understand it as not a 50-50 chance, is there still a chance for that statement to be correct?
Dear HLG,
I dont realy understand how this retrogression works, in my case , petition was aproved on sep. 12 2006 , file sent to NVA for visa issue, all documents are ther, Visa Initial Screen etc. How can I find out at what stage I am ???
Thanxs and regards
Where can I find stats on Schedule A visas handed out country by country for 2005 and 2006? Any help would be appreciated.
I would like to ask if this Nurse Recapture visa ammendment includes only the nurses? how about the PTs? Please always do refer Nurses/PTs if you are pertaining to both, or stress “for nurses only” in order to differentiate. I am a PT who is also a constant follower of this blog, and giving a clear distinction as to which law/bill applies to whom is very important to me. Thank you very much and God bless!
I have said this before and i’ll say it again “encourage your employers to send letters to senator and representatives in their area telling them that they are badly in need of immigrant nurses and PTs”.My employer for example Memorial Healthcare of East Texas immediately send a letter to Sen. Hutchison (she’s their Senator there) after the news of this retrogression broke out.It just so happened that Hutchison’s ammendment wasn’t attached ,who knows the representatives in your employers state is a democrat.So I guess it’s the least we can do from here,i know each one of us have employers from different states.Remember that politicians rely so much from big unions and huge companies for funding and electoral support.
Great letter by ICU nurse in DC, Please send it to anywhere can call people’s attention.
Thanks Chris for the updates.
Once again to everyone write letters and send emails to big media company or you may also send it to popular shows on the radio or TV.Like Oprah Winfrey, Howard Stern show for example (i know Stern sounds odd but remember the guy is very popular)he can make it a big issue especially that he is based in NY.You can also urge your employers to do this kind of propaganda too.Dont’t worry about mails bein’ altered i know it’s gonna go somewhere to the right place and to the right people.Then forward all your letters and emails to friends,families& relatives abroad i am pretty sure there lot of Filipinos,Chinese and Indians residing there.
As a nurse manager, I believe some of our politicians need to spend some time in a hospital to see how severe our nursing shortage is. It is quite concerning that we have a solution to this grave situation and our leaders can not find the time in their “busy” schedule to pass the much needed legislation that will rectify the problem.
I think Scott’s letter is great, but kinda long. This sort of a letter might be great to send to AARP. NY Times and Wash Post might need a shorter message which still makes a point. They receive thousands of letters every day and might not have time to read a long letter. Lets try to make Scott’s letter shorter while capturing its essence. I’ll take a crack at it tonight after work. In the meanwhile, I encourage others to do the same.
Hi guys,
we all are thinking of our own problems, but CIR is a bill to sort out every ones problems especially in favour of illegal immigrants.I personally won’t welcome that kind of CIR even if I wait for couple of years .I think the word illegal means something not legal.After all how can US government give equal status for those who manage to get in by crossing the STRONG BOARDER when they fail to secure the boarder.I am pretty sure if these illegals can hide from USICS eyes,they are dangerous and you are helping to grow more…But I am sure that the senators are wise enough andnot let them to chuckle. due to this simple fact CIR won’t be passed.Don’t you think so? And I will say it is utter foolishness to include nurses shortage in that bill who ever trying to do so..may be you may think how crazy the way I think.But it is the fact that an average person will think like me unless somebody has got special motive or benefit from these illegals may be financial or political.I hope you will agree with me if you are not selfish.
So please.. please give more importance to recapture rather than CIR which won’t pass if US Government is wise enough and if not selfish….
Can we lobby with Sen. Ted “one bill to solve all issues” Kennedy for passing the Hutchinson amendment? Looks like CIR initiative has been completely derailed. We really need to make the key senators see the light regarding the plight of health care facilities around the country.
HLG, thank you for all your efforts. Can you provide us an address to write to contact Sen. Kennedy?
Thanks,
i was really hoping that you guys could get this recapture thing done by Easter. what happened?
Great letter Scott. I think we all should have the idea now of what to write and who to address these letters to. The main points in our letter should be: the current nursing shortage in USA, our qualifications and eagerness to work and be counted and how we can solve the nursing shortage, and finally how long we are kept unnecessarily waiting. How the letter is worded (as long as the message is clear) is less important than the volume of letters we get out there. We need to bombard these people with letters; a majority is always heard and taken notice of. These letters will be most effective if they are coming from people in America, so if you know anyone in the USA ask them to write a letter also. Good luck everyone.
Thanks HLG for all your efforts.
I think ICU in DC, Scott, and others on this board have a great idea. Increasing media attention would help our cause. The common person does not know how dire hospital staffing is. Once we start to spread the word it will be like a snowball effect, and then the lawmakers will feel the urgency to act.
ICU in DC, I think the way you reframed the nursing shortage into a national security concern will catch a lot of people’s attention. Great letter!
A group of immigration lawyers met with Congressman Howard L. Berman last week to discuss immigration reform, including earned legalization of undocumented aliens and the DREAM Act. Along with other prominent immigration lawyers and community activists, responded to the Congressman’s legislative update and advised him of specific issues concerning the immigrant community.
Congressman Berman, a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 1983, represents the 28th District of California which largely covers northern San Fernando Valley. He is a senior member of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
In the private lunch meeting, Congressman Berman said that the committee would use S. 2611 – “Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006” as a starting point to draft legislation that would address the U.S.’s complex immigration problems. He reported that the subcommittee intends to mark up the bill in March, and forward its version to the Senate by late May. He also stated that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wanted a compromise bill forged between the Senate and the House by July or August, for a final vote by September of this year.
To HLG: this obviously derived from another immigration lawyer’s website whose names i have erased for HLG’s interest.But I hope HLG would still post this because I believe this is a good information to me and my fellow nurse.
I suggest that the lobbyist for schedule A relief committee should rethink a better options…because don’t you reliazed that the Schedule A issue is being used by the politicians as it’s FLATFORM who has the agenda for the passing of CIR… We don’t need CIR at this point…we are sick and tired of waiting…
The blocking of Sen. Hutchinson bill by a powerful senator… it only means one thing… We all have to wait for the passing of CIR…Which is good!!! but honestly at this point in time we dont need it…ALL WE ARE ASKING IS A TEMPORARY RELIEF!!! Respected US Senators & Congressman… Is this too much to ask for??? for a humble servant of your sick, old & dying people (Nurses)…
HLG pls reply on this:
What happened to the S.646 bill introduced by Sen. Coleman?
Any development yet?
Thanks!
My 2 cents:
The key senators, from the very beginning, wanted to mess up the immigration issues. That’s why they stirred illegal immigrants with legal immigrants. Their focus is on votes. Solving legal immigration issues won’t increase their votes, but they don’t like to solve illegal immigration issues so early either, since it can be a weapon in the election year, but not now. Actuall, they don’t really want to solve the problems, unless they have to individually suffer from healthcare worker shortage. I guess the new quota will take long long time to pass. For those living in US, my suggestion is try your hard to keep status, keep connection with hospital.
Thank you for the update, but please also refer to the “easter deadline” that you wrote about.
Thanks again
the title of the blog is almost too prognostic…
Does anyone here keep track with the Visa Bulletin??? I have some questions!
To which category do we, “schedule A” nurses, belong? Is it to the 1st/4th? For it is here in the Visa Bulletin that the visas are CURRENT to these categories..does this mean that there really is no Retrogression??? Some nurses in the US tells me that there really is no Retrogression!!… I am confused. Can anyone here please clarify??? Information would really mean a lot to all of us…
Thanks HLG!…
HLG,
Can we please have feedback re your key point re whether “democratic leadership will allow amendments to be attached to omnibus bills”….is there a 50:50 chance of this happening??? 60-90 days you say is a possibility…we need more information and detail re your original post please..with all due respect feel like I for one have been left a bit”high and dry” due to lack of information reabove points. What precedents have been set amendments being attached to omnibus bills…..begging you HLG for more info on above points….thanking you for all your huge efforts thus far…
mary kennedy
March 20
WASHINGTON – A bipartisan immigration bill set to be introduced in the House later this week includes a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants but would also require these residents to leave the United States and return legally before being eligible to change their status.
A draft summary of the bill, obtained late today by the Register, includes most of the basic elements in the comprehensive immigration bill that passed the Senate last year. But what will make or break this legislation will be the details.
The measure is to be introduced Thursday by Reps. Luis Guitierrez, D-Ill., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. The two were expected to jointly introduce their bill in the House with a new measure being drafted by Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and John McCain, R-Ariz.
To HLG:
Is schedule A relief included in this bill? I got this news from Orange county
what would a nurse recapture amendment look like if it ever came to pass?
Thank you HLG for the update, I wanted to ask why if there is an objection from the democrats to include amendments in bills, then the recapture is not introduced as a bill? if the majority supports it?
Thanks
In a speech to conservatives in Washington two weeks ago, former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts said: “The current system is a virtual concrete wall against those who have skill and education, but it’s a wide open walk across the border for those that have neither. And McCain-Kennedy isn’t the answer.”
I personally couldn’t agree more. CIR and illegal Mexicans are keeping Schedule A nurses and PTs from getting those Green Cards we deserve. Please write to members of the House and Senate to end Schedule A retrogression.
Everyone-
We post and comment whenever we have any information that is relevant.
We read every comment that you offer, but please understand that we cannot possibly respond to every question. We try and use our time to find information and lobby for reform.
Reply to the person questions on Schedule A in visa bulletin.
Schedule A belongs to EB3 Group. When there were recaptiored 50000 visas were available , it was mentioned in eb3 group as sub part. Now there these visas finished and the Schedule A is removed from visa bulletin. and all nurses becomes under eb3 now which is under 4-5 years waiting line esp. for PIC countries. Each quarter some visas were available for contries as per their quota. But these go to those who are on que. DS-230 completed will get first, that based on their PD. But the fact is that now almost all countries are under retrogression reg. nurses as no ready visas available. If at all some visas avavilable as quarterly allotment, it will go to countries were there is very less demand. That too EB3 group. In that very little chance that nurses get the same visa as their were other EB3 s wating for years! Now congress must fix this as in 2005 April!!