U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) has announced that certain healthcare workers from Mexico and Canada will remain exempt for an additional year from the foreign healthcare worker certification requirement.  The exemption applies to TN (NAFTA professional) healthcare workers who held a valid license from a U.S. jurisdiction and were employed in the US prior to September 23, 2003.  It does not appear to be necessary that the applicant be working during the time between September 23^rd and the present.

Previously, the USCIS had announced that after July 26, 2004, foreign healthcare workers, other than physicians, who were subject to the foreign healthcare worker certification requirement are ineligible for entry to the US or an extension of status or change of status if already in the U.S., unless they obtained certification granted by an approved credentialing organization.