HEADLINES

 

Lofgren: US Nursing Shortage Continues
"Even in this grim economy, there are some jobs in which we don't have enough
people — for example, we still have a nursing shortage," said Rep. Zoe Lofgren.
http://hammondlawgroup.blogspot.com/2009/04/lofgren-on-h-1s-and-rns.html

 

Will the Cap be Reached?
With the April 1 window opening, American employers are filing H-1B cases for
FY2010.  The downturn in economic conditions is expected to tamp down demand for
H-1B visas.  Industries such as healthcare are still seeing demand for internationally-
trained workers in occupations such as Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy. 
Information Technology companies still use the vast majority of the H-1B visas.
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/IT-Management/Tech-Demand-Likely-To-Be-Strong-In-Annual-H1B-Lottery/

 

Acting Director Yates Responds to Ombudsman
In December the USCIS Ombudsman issued a Memorandum aimed at improving the
processing of Schedule A visa petitions.  Acting Director Yates has now issued a
response to the Ombudsman’s Memorandum.
Ombudsman’s original Memorandum: http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/cisomb_ead_recommendation_36.pdf
Acting Dir. Yates’ Reply: http://www.ilw.com/immigdaily/news/2009,0325-aytes.pdf

 

Could Tax Issues Torpedo Sebeilus’ Nomination to HHS?
Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on Tuesday joined a list of Cabinet nominees who
were forced to pay back taxes because of errors in their returns.
In a letter to the Senate Finance Committee, Sebelius, President Barack Obama's
nominee to head the Health and Human Services Department, said she repaid nearly
$8,000, including interest, because of “unintentional errors''.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/story/978022.html

 

H-1s for PTs and OTs: Masters or Bachelors?
In the last few weeks, the USCIS has denied several physical therapist and
occupational therapist cases for H-1b visa petitioners. The USCIS is making several
critical mistakes in their application of their regulation.  Any one of these reasons
compels the USCIS to approve these cases.  HLG is working with USCIS and AILA to
solve this issue.
http://hammondlawgroup.blogspot.com/2009/03/pt-ot-masters-issue-update.html

 

NBCOT Verification of 2009 Certificate Renewal Status
Based on the strong renewal response to date, NBCOT® will verify as “active in good
standing” the certification status of persons who have submitted a 2009 application
for renewal but whose new certificate documents are still in process. Verification of
“active in good standing” certification status, for those who renew prior to the March
31st deadline, will be extended through April 30th allowing ample time for receipt of
 the new certificate documents.
http://www.nbcot.org/webarticles/articlefiles/2009RenewalStatus_Verification.pdf

 

FCCPT to Launch New Evaluation Tool in July
The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy has announced the
 implementation of the most current Coursework Evaluation Tool - 5, for use as of
July 1, 2009. Any evaluations for current standards begun after July 1, 2009 will
reflect the requirements on the new tool CWT -5.
http://www.fsbpt.org/RegulatoryTools/CWT/index.asp

 

Nursing Job Prospects Bright Amid Dim Economy
The Florida Center for Nursing estimates that the Sunshine State will have a
shortage of more than 18,400 nurses by next year — and more than 52,200 a
decade from now.  More people are pursuing nursing careers — the center reports a
24 percent increase in the number of graduates from registered-nursing programs
during the past year alone. But the shortage will persist.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-biz-nurses-jobs-032309,0,3758621.story

 

HLG EVENTS

April 2009
PT / OT Masters Degree?
Read HLG's latest update on its efforts to cure the USCIS opinion on the PT/OT Masters degree issue.  HLG
 is working on a lawsuit against USCIS.  If it goes forward, the lawsuit will be filed this month. 
Blog Updates on the issue
Immigration Alert on the issue

 

April 8, 2009
Sherry Neal and Chris Musillo are featured panelists for ILW.com's Healthcare Immigration for Beginners. 
Register
 

May 7, 2009
Chris Musillo is a featured speaker for ILW.com's telephone seminar Options For Healthcare Professionals. 
Register
 

Available Now
Inside the Minds: Working with Government Agencies in Immigration Law
Sherry Neal has contributed a chapter to Aspatore Books' latest Inside the Minds
series.
Aspatore Books

 

 

PROCESSING DATES

 

SERVICE CENTER	PROCESSING DATES
California Service Center ( CSC )	Not Processing
AZ, CA, GU, HI, NV
Nebraska Service Center ( NSC )	“4 Months”
AK, CO, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, ND, OH, OR, SD, UT, WA, WI, WY
Texas Service Center ( TSC )	August 1, 2007
AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NM, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX
Vermont Service Center (VSC)	Not Processing
CT, DE, DC, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, PR, RI, VT, VA, VI, WV

 

 

 VISA BULLETIN

	All Charge-ability Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA- mainland born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
Employment-Based
1st	C	C	C	C	C
2nd	C	15FEB05	15FEB04	C	C
3rd	01MAR03	01MAR03	01NOV01	01MAR03	01MAR03
Other Workers	01MAR01	01MAR01	01MAR01	01MAR01	01MAR01
4th	C	C	C	C	C
Certain Religious Workers	U	U	U	U	U
5th	C	C	C	C	C