In April 2022, MU filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, requesting a complete dataset of all I-140 registered nurse immigrant petitions approved between Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 – Fiscal Year 2022. The USCIS finally responded, producing a 443 page list of I-140 immigrant petitions approved between FY 2018 – FY 2022 for registered nurses. MU has summarized the data provided by the USCIS below:
| FY 2018 | FY 2019 | FY 2020 | FY2021 | FY 2022 |
Total # of Approved RN I-140s | 3905 | 5695 | 7484 | 7489 | 12095 |
As indicated by the data produced by the USCIS, there has been a steady increase in the number of approved I-140 immigrant petitions for registered nurses, with a notable jump in FY 2022, reflecting a critical need among U.S. employers for foreign national registered nurses. The demand among U.S. employers, coupled with a growing nursing workforce shortage should persuade Congress to embrace legislation, such as the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, which seeks to address the nation’s shortage of nurses in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In summary, the data produced by USCIS not only illustrates the urgent demand for foreign national registered nurses but also reinforces the need for legislative measures to address this critical shortage in healthcare.
