International Education Evaluations, LLC Now Authorized to Issue Visa Screens

As of October 25, 2024, USCIS has added International Education Evaluations, LLC to the list of organizations authorized to issue certificates and certified statements for Registered Nurses. Notice of the organization’s addition was provided in the Federal Register.

Immigration regulations require that when filing a nonimmigrant or immigrant petition for certain healthcare occupations, including Registered Nurses, the Petitioner must include a healthcare worker’s certificate (sometimes called a Visa Screen) from an authorized credentialing organization.

The immigration regulations expressly authorize the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS), the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), and the Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT), to issue valid healthcare workers’ certificates.

USCIS may also approve additional organizations for issuance of certificates by providing notice in the Federal Register. MU previously published an August 2021 blog post on the addition, via Federal Register notice, of Josef Silny Associates, Inc. to the list of authorized organizations.

Department of State Launches AVITS Website for Appointment Scheduling

On September 30, 2024, the Department of State launched Applicant Visa Information Tracking System (AVITS), a new scheduling website for US visa applicants in certain countries.

AVITS will replace the previous scheduling system, US Travel Docs, for visa applicants applying for visas at US embassies located in the following countries:

• Belgium
• Burkina Faso
• Cameroon
• Côte d’Ivoire
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• France
• The Gambia
• Ghana
• Liberia
• The Netherlands
• Nigeria
• Rwanda
• Senegal
• Sierra Leone

Appointments scheduled on the previous website will remain on the original date selected. Applicants whose appointment was scheduled on the previous website must create a new account on AVITS using their previously registered email address.

November 2024 Visa Bulletin: Visa Numbers at a Standstill

The Department of State has just issued the November 2024 Visa Bulletin. This blog post analyzes this month's Visa Bulletin.

Visa Bulletin

Table A: Final Action Dates -- Applications with these priority dates or earlier may be approved for their Green Card (Permanent Residency card) or Immigrant Visa appointment:

Table B: Dates for Filing

The USCIS will use the Table B Dates for Filing chart for I-485 employment-based filings in November 2024. See: USCIS Visa Bulletin Dates

MU Law Analysis

EB-1, EB-2, EB-3: The Visa Bulletin for categories EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 made no movement from October 2024 in the Final Action Dates or Dates of Filing chart. 

NCHWA: NURSE SHORTAGE TO CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST 2036

The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis projects a 9 percent nursing workforce shortage through 2036.  The problem will be particularly acute in non-metro areas, where the shortage is expected to grow to 14%.  The ten states with the largest projected RN shortages in 2036 are: Georgia (29%), California (26%), Washington (26%), New Jersey (25%), North Carolina (23%), New Hampshire (23%), South Carolina (21%), Maryland (20%), Michigan (19%), and Oregon (16%).

The current shortage is about 250,000 and is expected to grow to a shortage of 350,00 full-time registered nurses in 2026.

The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA) collects data, conducts research, and generates information about the U.S. health care workforce to inform and support Public- and private-sector decision making. Learn about the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis.

Legislation proposed by Rep. Bayer (D-VA) calls for 20,000 nurse visas for rural shortage areas.  Unfortunately, that legislation has probably been introduced too late in this congressional term to pass both houses of Congress before the term ends on December 31, 2024.

PHILIPPINE NURSES CHOOSING TO WORK ABROAD

Philippines nurses seem to be choosing contract positions with an aim toward moving abroad.   ABS-CBN News reports that ACT-Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro questioned why there did not appear to be an increase in permanent (Plantilla) healthcare positions in the last year.

Rep. Angelica Natasha Co speculated that healthcare workers opt for temporary or contractual positions when they have plans to work abroad.  Last year saw one of the greatest numbers of Philippine nurses enter the US in many years, as the American nursing shortage continues to get worse.  As of 2021, about 300,000 Philippine nurses worked abroad.