ILW.COM - immigration news: Bloggings On Nurse And Allied Health Immigration

by Chris Musillo

The November 2009 Visa Bulletin has been released. There have been some small changes from the October 2009 Visa Bulletin, but no major changes.

EB1: All Current
EB2: All Current, except China (01APR05) and India (22JAN05)
EB3: All 01JUN02, except India (22APR01).

The November Bulletin did contain this note:

E. EMPLOYMENT PREFERENCE VISA AVAILABILITY
The receipt of demand from Citizenship and Immigration Services Offices has far exceeded their earlier indications of cases eligible for immediate processing. As a result, it has been necessary to hold most of the Employment cut-off dates for November. At this time, it is not possible to provide any estimates regarding future cut-off date movements.

by Chris Musillo

Earlier today President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The award was a surprise; few pundits had tapped Obama for the honor.

Of lesser apparent newsworthiness, earlier in the week, three Americans shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Although none of the three are nurses or allied workers , two of the three Americans were immigrants to this country. Since this Blog focuses on the intersection of healthcare and visa policy, this is the story that I will highlight.

One of the winners, Dr. Blackburn, came to the United States in the 1970s because it was “notably attractive” as a place to do science. America is still a magnet for foreign scientists, she said, “but one shouldn’t take that for granted.”

There is a parallel to America’s current policy with respect to healthcare professionals, which presently is broken. While few immigrants, or Americans for that matter, make the kinds of these contributions that these two have made, thousands of foreign trained healthcare workers have made the kinds of day-to-day contributions that enormously enhance America. By enacting sensible healthcare visa reform, the US can insure that America remains a magnet for the best and brightest.

Bloggings On Nurse And Allied Health Immigration

by Christopher T. Musillo

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