RETROGRESSION UPDATE
Good News: A few days ago, the US senate announced that they have reached a 'deal' on the polarized issue of Immigration Reform.
Bad News: The supposed deal eliminates the 'Schedule A Category'
Passage of a long-overdue immigration reform law by the US legislature would mean resolution of the retrogression affecting thousands of filipino nurses awaiting deployment to the United States. At present, visa issuance is on hold due to a backlog in visa numbers. This is called retrogression.
Nurses and Physical therapists are listed as 'shortage occupations' by the US Department of Labor in a category called, Schedule A. As such, an employer may file an immigrant visa petition (I-140) directly with the (USCIS) without first going to the US Department of Labor for a labor certification as required by state regulations.
The compromise reached last week by the US senate, however, removes this category and replaces it with a new "merit-based" point system.
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Also, the proposed increase in the H-1 visa quota does not sufficiently meet real world demands. The bill allocates an additional 115,000 H-1 visas to the current cap with 20% annual buffers not exceeding 180,000. However, it can be recalled that 65,000 visa allocations were used up within just a day after the USCIS started accepting applications in April this year.
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Related News:
Deal Is Reached in Senate on Immigration (NY Times)
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Advocacy Link:
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