SPECIAL SECTION: RETROGRESSION

GREEN CARD RETROGRESSION
The immigrant visa numbers are expected to retrogress beginning in January or soon thereafter. The Department of State releases the visa numbers around the 15th of each month. The numbers take effect the first day of the following month.
http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/frvi_bulletincurrent.html

NURSE IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION
Congress ended the lame-duck session in November without passing any legislation for foreign healthcare workers. Hammond Law Group remains committed to lobbying Congress to pass legislation when it resumes its session in 2005. Shortly, we will be seeking contributions to fund this lobbying initiative.
http://www.hammondlawfirm.com/alerts/10.21.2004alert.htm

AHA: SUPPLY OF FOREIGN NURSES COULD DISAPPEAR
Healthcare immigration experts warn that the number of registered nurses from the Philippines and India - major RN exporters to the United States - will drop off significantly next year, because those countries have exceeded their per-country quotas for employment-based immigrant visas or green cards.
http://www.ahanews.com/ahanews/jsp/display.jsp?dcrpath=AHANEWS/AHANewsNowArticle/data/ann_041129_foreignnurses&domain=AHANEWS

RETROGRESSION: THE END OF FOREIGN NURSE RECRUITING?
In response to these very real threats to foreign nurse recruiting, Hammond Law Group and a team of leading immigration lawyers who represent some of the largest health organizations in the country have begun to put together a lobbying effort – the foreign nurse taskforce (FNT).
http://www.hammondlawfirm.com/alerts/12.03.2004alert.htm

FEATURE ARTICLES

NCLEX OVERSEAS BEGINNING NEXT MONTH
The NCLEX examination will be offered overseas beginning January 2005. It will initially begin in three locations: Seoul, Hong Kong and London.
http://www.hammondlawfirm.com/alerts/11.22.2004healthcare_alert.htm

ILW SEMINARS: NURSE IMMIGRATION
Immigration Law Daily is hosting a three-part series of telephone conferences titled, Nurse Immigration (in Cooperation with CGFNS). The first one, held last month, featured HLG attorney Sherry Neal and addressed USCIS issues and retrogression. The second telephone seminar will be held on December 13th and will cover state licensure issues; the third telephone seminar will be held on January 13th and will cover VisaScreen issues and consular processing issues.

http://www.ilw.com/lawyers/seminars/november2004.shtm

REVISED VISASCREEN APPLICATION AND HANDBOOK
CGFNS has recently revised the VisaScreen application and the VISASCREEN Handbook.
Application: http://www.cgfns.org/cgfns/downloads/VisaScreenApplication.pdf

Handbook: http://www.cgfns.org/cgfns/downloads/VisaScreenHandbook.pdf

QUESTIONS FOR CGFNS
The Healthcare Committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association is holding an upcoming telephone conference with CGFNS. In preparation for the meeting, AILA is seeking questions. If you have a question that's general in nature and not case specific, please email sln@hammondlawfirm.com before December 7th.
www.cgfns.org

NEW LEGISLATION: H-1B VISAS
Congress passed legislation, expected to be signed by President Bush within the next few days, which impacts the H-1b visas by adding additional costs, eliminating the 5% variance in prevailing wages and exempting foreign nationals who hold a U.S. Master's or PhD degree.
http://www.hammondlawfirm.com/alerts/11.23.2004alert.htm

CONGRESS ADDS PHYSICIANS TO H-1B CAP EXEMPTION
On November 18, 2004 the Senate passed legislation extending and modifying the “Conrad 30” J waiver program for foreign-born physicians has passed both the House and the Senate. The House had earlier passed a similar measure. The President is expected to sign the legislation. The CONRAD program will be extended until June 1, 2006 and the bill will exempt physicians sponsored by either a federal or state agency from the annual H-1B cap. Further, the bill will provide additional options for specialists to obtain waivers and for physicians practicing medicine in areas not designated as having a shortage of health care professionals if the physician practices in a facility that serves patients in such shortage areas. President Bush is expected to sign this bill. HLG supports this progressive measure.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c108:1:./temp/~c1083b51FF

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: STILL NOT ENOUGH NURSES
Even though there is a steady increase in the number of new registered nurses in the United States, it is still not enough to prevent a long-term shortage that could cripple the nation's health-care system, says a new study.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/hsn/20041120/hl_hsn/stillnotenoughnursestogoaround

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