CGFNS: 40% OF FENs PERCEIVE DISCRIMINATION

CGFNS has co-authored a significant study, Perceptions of Employment-Based Discrimination among Newly Arrived Foreign Educated Nurses.”  The study was conducted by CGFNS and George Washington University and funded by a grant from the MacArthur Foundation. 

The CGFNS press release implies that the study’s findings are based on FENs perceptions of America.  It does not appear that the study actually found that 40% of FENs are discriminated by US employers, which is a significant difference and one that may be addressed in the full article that is to be published in the January 2014 American Journal of Nursing, Vol. 114, No. 1.

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On a somewhat related note, Donna Richardson, longtime CGFNS Director of Governmental Affairs and Professional Standards, has announced her retirement.  Chris Musillo and Cindy Unkenholt have both sat on panels with Donna and have worked with her throughout her entire run at CGFNS.  She was also quick to help with problematic matters and quicker with a smile.  MU Law wishes her the best in her next phase of life.  She will be missed.  

PHILIPPINE GOVT REQUESTS TPS

Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario has formally requested the United States Government on Friday, December 13, to designate the country under Temporary Protected Status (TPS).  TPS will allow eligible Filipinos to stay and work in the US in order for them to assist in the country’s continuing recovery efforts after Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) devastated parts of the Philippines. 

The US government may take some time to evaluate the request.  Even if the US government approves the TPS request, an applicant will need to prove that they have suffered hardship as a result of the Super Typhoon.  If the applicant proves hardship he is allowed to stay in the US and granted work authorization.

The TPS  for Haitian nationals is illustrative.  Haiti suffered a massive earthquake in January 2010.  The US granted TPS for Hatian nationals who could prove that they have suffered an economic hardship as a result of the earthquake. 

JANUARY 2014 VISA BULLETIN

The Department of State has just released the January 2013 Visa Bulletin.  This is the fourth Visa Bulletin of the 2014 US Fiscal Year, which began on October 1, 2013.  

The All Other Countries EB-3 date jumped again.  It has now moved 19 months in the last two calendar months.   The Chinese EB-2 and EB-3 continued to be flipped: the Chinese EB-2 is worse than the Chinese EB-3.  Chinese nationals who are BE-2 may be able to file an EB-3.  Chinese EB-3s should check with their attorneys to effect this change.

Unfortunately India EB-2 and India EB-3 remained stuck at the same dates from the December 2013 Visa Bulletin.  The Philippine EB-3 did advance 5 weeks.

Here is this month's complete chart:

January 2014 Visa Bulletin
	All Other Countries	China	India	Philippines
EB-2	Current	08DEC08	15NOV04	Current
EB-3	01APR12	01APR12	01SEP03	15FEB07

AN ACCOUNT OF IMMIGRATION REFORM

MU Law's Maria Schneider was recently published in the Cincinnati Bar Association’s (CBA) Report.  Ms. Schneider’s article, An Account of Immigration Reform, was featured on the cover of this month’s issue of the Report and concerns comprehensive immigration reform.  

In the article Ms. Schneider outlines several groups vying for priority consideration in a reformed immigration system and questions which of these groups should be given preference for entering the US.  She concludes by asking the key question: Who gets in?

HEALTH AFFAIRS NOTES THE NEED FOR FOREIGN TRAINED HEALTHCARE WORKERS

The November issue of Health Affairs includes a Reform Proposal co-authored by to researchers at the RAND Corporation, a post-doctoral fellow at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, and two faculty members at the Yale School of Heath. 

The extensively researched article explains the substantial size of foreign-born healthcare workers in the United States.  The Abstract to the article explains that the authors:

Review the distribution of these workers and their countries of origin, and we summarize the literature concerning their contributions to US health care. We also report on these workers’ experiences in the United States and the impact their migration has on their home countries.

Finally, we present policy strategies to increase the benefits of health care worker migration to the United States while mitigating its negative effects on the workers’ home countries.

The author’s strategies include:

attracting more people with legal permanent residency status into the health workforce, reimbursing home countries for the cost of educating health workers who subsequently migrate to the United States, improving policies to facilitate the entry of direct care workers into the country, advancing efforts to promote and monitor ethical migration and recruitment practices, and encouraging the implementation of programs by US employers to improve the experience of immigrating health workers.

The article is a must-read for those who are serious about attending to US health care worker supply shortages.