DO NOT LET YOUR VISA SCREEN EXPIRE

The USCIS requires Healthcare Worker Certificates, sometimes called Visa Screens are required for foreign-born healthcare workers who will be employed in the US in the following professions:

• ·         Nurses (including LPNs, vocational nurses, and RNs);
• ·         Physical Therapists;
• ·         Occupational Therapists;
• ·         Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists;
• ·         Medical Technologists or Clinical Laboratory Scientists;
• ·         Medical Technicians or Clinical Laboratory Technicians; and
• ·         Physician Assistants.

A valid Visa Screen must be provided to the USCIS when the healthcare worker applies for entrance to the US, change of status, extension of status, or adjustment of status (a green card application).  In light of the USCIS’s new policies regarding the issuance of Requests for Evidence (RFE), Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID), and Notices to Appear (NTA), healthcare workers are advised to not let their Visa Screens expire. 

In the past, if an H-1B extension was filed without a valid Visa Screen, the USCIS would generally send an RFE to request it.  Under the new USCIS new policies, the lack of a valid Visa Screen would be grounds for immediate denial.  Further, with the new NTA policy, if the healthcare worker’s I-94 has expired at the time of the denial, the worker could be put into deportation proceedings immediately.

MU strongly advises healthcare workers to timely renew their Visa Screens so that they can continue to maintain their immigration status and their ability to work in the US.