On May 5, 2020, a bipartisan group of senators introduced the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act (Senate Bill 3599) to temporarily relieve the country's shortage of doctors and nurses, strengthen the healthcare workforce, and improve healthcare access during the COVID-19 crisis.

If passed, the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act would temporarily give international physicians and nurses access to the unused immigrant visas (green cards) that have accumulated since 1992.

The bill could reduce the green card backlog for many nurses and physicians and will:

• Authorize the recapture of 25,000 immigrant visas for professional nurses and 15,000 immigrant visas for physicians;
• Allow these visas to be issued in order of the priority date, regardless of country of birth;
• Issue recaptured visas for the spouse and children of these individuals, without limit;
• Require faster processing of these applications and petitions.

To qualify for these green cards, an applicant who has not already filed an I-140 immigrant petition must file one within 90 days of the end of the national emergency declaration for COVID-19, which went into effect on March 1, 2020, and is still in effect as of this article's date.

The House has introduced an identical bill  which has bipartisan support, but like most bills, it's unknown whether and when the bill will become law.  Join us in urging Congress to support this important legislation by emailing your legislators today and sharing news about the bill on social media using the #ImmigrantHealthHeroes hashtag.

This article is provided as an educational service and is not legal advice. Consult with an attorney for your specific circumstances.  For a comprehensive evaluation of your immigration situation and options, you are invited to call me at 214-494-8033, complete my contact form