NATIONAL HEALTHCARE COMMITTEE
Sherry Neal, a healthcare-focused Hammond Law Group, LLC attorney has been appointed to the National Healthcare Committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. The Committee will explore several issues relevant to foreign healthcare workers.
DOS TO REQUIRE NON-IMMIGRANT VISA INTERVIEWS
Effective August 1, the Department of State all consulates have been
instructed to significantly scale back the practice of waiving interviews
for many non-immigrant visa applicants. In turn, it is expected that
interview scheduling queues will lengthen. Non-immigrant visa classes
compelled to attend personal interviews include many of the most popular
visa classes such as the H-1B, L-1, O-1, B-1, and F-1.
VISASCREEN REQUIRED FOR NON-IMMIGRANTS
The Department of
Homeland Security published the final rule requiring VisaScreen certificates
for health care workers seeking admission to the United States in
non-immigrant status. The regulation becomes effective on September 23,
2003, but contains a one-year waiver thereby allowing foreign health care
workers until July 24, 2004 to obtain a VisaScreen.
Article: http://www.hammondlawfirm.com/mmm/visascreen.article.doc
FAQ: http://www.hammondlawfirm.com/mmm/visascreen.faq.doc
FILIPINO NURSES WIN $250,000 FRAUD JUDGMENT
The San Jose Mercury News reported recently that a federal jury
awarded more than $250,000 to five Filipino immigrants who sued a Santa Cruz
nursing home. The nursing home had reportedly hired them with the promise
of helping them obtain working permits and legal immigration status in the
United States.
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/6280182.htm
REGIONAL REPORT: NURSING SHORTAGE GROWING IN THE US
The Saturday July 12
edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that recent nursing school
graduates are not having any difficulty finding jobs upon graduation.
Greater Cincinnati nurse openings crept upward (from 16% to 17% in the last
year) despite increases in scholarships, signing bonuses and other awareness
campaigns.
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/07/12/loc_christnursing12.html
IELTS ENGLISH
PROFICIENCY EXAM AN ATTRACTIVE ALTERNATIVE
An increasing number of foreign nurses are choosing the IELTS examination rather than the TOEFL, TSE and TWE examinations. For a listing of acceptable scores for all English proficiency examinations, please refer to the following link:
http://www.hammondlawfirm.com/mmm/english.exam.nurses.doc
ENGLISH TESTING RESUMES IN CHINA
Both TOEFL and IELTS will resume testing in China this month. For the news release regarding TOEFL testing in China, visit the following link: http://www.ets.org/news/03062401.html; for the news release for IELTS testing in China, please visit the following link: http://www.ielts.org/news.cfm.
IELTS TESTING DATES
Beginning September 1, 2003, IELTS is migrating to a fixed testing date schedule. The IELTS examination will be administered four times a month from September 2003 to December 2003. For a list of scheduled testing dates, visit the following link:
http://www.ielts.org/news.cfm#40.
ASHHRA ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXPO | AUGUST 17-20 DENVER, COLORADO
Hammond Law Group, LLC will be attending the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Annual Meeting. Please visit us at booth #429.
http://www.hospitalconnect.com/ashhra/conference/AHA.pdf
Hammond Law Group has a team of attorneys and legal staff who work with leading hospitals, recruiting agencies, and other healthcare providers to handle the immigration processing of cases for professional nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists and other healthcare providers. This eZine is designed to provide our clients with only the information they need. For more detailed information about any of the topics discussed, please contact us and a member of our healthcare team will be happy to speak to you. mfh@hammondlawfirm.com