Openers

Dear Readers: 

The last several months have been a time of major change in health care immigration. This month we update you on two huge developments – 1) the passage of a major physician immigration bill in Congress and the subsequent changes at the administrative level and 2) the retrogression of the EB-3 green card category, a development that is presenting major challenges to those recruiting foreign nurses from the Philippines, India and China. 

I have been actively involved in the lobbying work in these two areas. On the doctor’s side, I have been chairing the FMG Taskforce, a coalition of law firms that handle physician immigration cases. Our group was instrumental in the drafting of key sections of the bill and played a key role in advocating for the provisions with members of Congress. Our shuttling back and forth to Washington paid off with the J_1 bill being one of the only pro-immigration bills to pass in 2004. On the nursing front, I am working with a similar group called the Foreign Nurse Taskforce which is comprised of law firms representing foreign nurse staffing companies as well as health care providers. Our group is part of a larger coalition that includes groups like the American Hospital Association. The coalition is working with members of Congress to address the serious shortfalls in foreign nursing immigration law and policy. 

We cover both those stories (the second one potentially being addressed by Congress even as I type this) and a number of other recent developments in our latest newsletter issue. We also answer reader questions and I remind readers that you can send us your queries to ask-visalaw@visalaw.com. 

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Many of you have recently sent suggestions for improving the health care section of our web site. We’re pleased to announce we are in the process of upgrading the site to make it even more useful. We intend to add links to many more sites with helpful information for foreign health care workers and their employers as well as posting a number of laws, regulations, memoranda and guidelines that cover the subject of health care immigration. 

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Siskind Susser attorneys have been out on the road speaking about physician immigration and attending meetings in the field. Arda Beskardes and I have just returned from the annual meeting of the National Association of Physician Recruiters where I spoke on the latest developments in physician immigration. Arda is off this weekend to attend the annual meeting of the Association of Nurse Executives.  Last month I was a speaker at the Physician Recruiting Expo in Orlando, Florida. If you are interested in one of our attorneys speaking on a health care immigration topic at your association meeting or a similar event, let us know. We can often provide substantive content to your program that can help your members. 

Finally, I remind you all that you are welcome to send me your questions, comments and tips. My email address is gsiskind@visalaw.com. 

Kind regards,

Gregory Siskind, Attorney at Law

Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk.