December 2023 Visa Bulletin Analysis: Implications for International Nurses in Healthcare Recruitment
Visa Bulletin
Table A: Final Action Dates — Applications with these dates may be approved for their Green Card (Permanent Residency card) or Immigrant Visa appointment.
| Employment- based | All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed | CHINA- mainland born | INDIA | MEXICO | PHILIPPINES |
| 1st | C | 15FEB22 | 01JAN17 | C | C |
| 2nd | 15JUL22 | 22OCT19 | 01JAN12 | 15JUL22 | 15JUL22 |
| 3rd | 01DEC21 | 22JAN20 | 01MAY12 | 01DEC21 | 01DEC21 |
Table B: Dates of Filing
The USCIS is expected to use the Table B Dates of Filing chart for I-485 employment-based filings. See: USCIS Visa Bulletin Dates
For healthcare recruiters looking to bridge the gap between the high demand for skilled nursing professionals and the shortage of local talent, international nurse recruitment has been a popular solution. However, the December 2023 Visa Bulletin brings changes that could potentially impact this practice. VisaMadeEZ, a leading immigration law firm specializing in helping healthcare organizations hire international nurses, analyzes the implications of the visa bulletin and its possible effects on healthcare recruitment.
The Current Situation:
Despite the availability of nursing schools, the demand for nursing professionals in the healthcare industry continues to rise. To address this, healthcare organizations often turn to international nurse recruitment as a solution, with travel nurses being a popular and temporary solution to fill staffing gaps.
- Understanding the Workforce Evolution:
With the declining opportunities for international nurse recruitment, healthcare organizations must pivot their focus to other viable options to overcome the talent gap. One solution is to invest in cultivating and retaining talent from the local community by providing comprehensive training programs and fostering supportive work environments. - The Role of Immigration Law Firms:
As healthcare organizations explore other alternatives, VisaMadeEZ understands the imperative of ensuring compliance with immigration regulations while helping recruiters navigate the complexities of hiring international nurses. The law firm provides comprehensive services, including filing petitions for non-immigrant and immigrant visas, assisting with labor certification requirements, and navigating USCIS adjudications.
Conclusion:
The December 2023 Visa Bulletin foretells a challenging environment for recruiters and staffing agencies looking to hire international nursing professionals. The State Department is acting conservatively, which while frustrating, may prove to ratchet down the anxiety around the monthly chart, and provide a better measure of processing times for those involved. While no one likes a nearly two-year EB-3 retrogression for non-India and China, it may prove to be a stable set of dates. We do expect these categories to slowly progress throughout the fiscal year pushing into 2022, and perhaps even into 2023.