As reported by ImmigrationImpact.com

This month marks the 7th anniversary of the DHS which is home to the nation’s three immigration agencies (ICE, CBP and USCIS).  It also marks the end of a sweeping internal review ordered by DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano which has not been made public.

The Immigration Policy Center has released a report entitled DHS Progress Report: The Challenge of Reform to assess the 1st year of the Obama Administration’s immigration policy.

On the plus side, there has been more public engagement and discussion of DHS priorities. ICE has announced, although not fully implemented, numerous detention reforms. It has done away with the massive worksite raids of the past few years, placing greater emphasis on employer violations. The Obama Administration and USCIS have made some genuine inroads into immigration fee reform, backlog reduction, and expanded naturalization and integration efforts. Secretary Napolitano has also invested significant time and resources into developing plans for comprehensive immigration reform.

These are just some of the examples of changes within the last year. Ultimately, this first year was mostly frustrating—a year where the promise of reform seems to fight daily with the dynamics of an entrenched belief in an enforcement driven culture. For every two steps forward, it seems that the Department takes one steps backward.

It has been reported that today President Obama is scheduled to meet with two key congressional players in the movement for immigration reform—Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC)—who are working together behind the scenes to draft a bipartisan immigration bill. The President is expected to ask the Senators to produce a reform bill blueprint that “could be turned into legislative language.” Some think that the meeting is another positive signal from the White House, and others view it as a “last-ditch effort in an election year.” Although interpretations are mixed, a spokesman for the White House affirmed that the President is still committed to reforming our immigration system.  More on this

Super Express Van Tours of Houston was not your ordinary bus line. It served neither tourists nor commuters. Instead, federal officials say, it specialized in transporting illegal immigrants around the country. Once they arrived from Mexico, it kept the passengers under lock and key in “safe houses” — preventing both scrutiny from outsiders and possible escapes — until it loaded them into minivans and shuttled them to cities across the United States, including Los Angeles, Atlanta and Miami.

Super Express was no stranger to the Border Patrol and other federal authorities — its drivers had been stopped and arrested seven times over five years for transporting illegal immigrants. But the drivers and their human cargo were merely the low-hanging fruit. That’s why it was a welcome development last week when agents arrested the company’s owner, Fermin A. Tovar.  For more

3rd in a Series: Nurse Practitioners

While working on this series, USCIS notified that the H-1B cap was met on December 21, 2009 for fiscal year 2010.  USCIS will reject cap-subject petitions for new H-1B specialty occupation workers seeking an employment start date in FY 2010 that arrive after Dec. 21, 2009.

USCIS will apply a computer-generated random selection process to all petitions that are subject to the cap and were received on Dec. 21, 2009 and will use this process to select petitions needed to meet the cap.  USCIS will reject, and return the fee, for all cap-subject petitions not randomly selected.

Petitions filed on behalf of current H-1B workers who have been counted previously against the cap will not be counted towards the congressionally mandated FY 2010 H-1B cap. Therefore, USCIS will continue to process petitions filed for:

1)     Extensions of H-1B’s for the same employer

2)     Changes of employer from one H-1B employer to another

3)     Petitions amending a material change in employment (such as a change in jobsite location)

4)     H-1B employer petitions seeking concurrent H-1B employment; and

5)     Petitions filed by exempt employers. Exempt employers are non-profit organizations that are affiliated with institutions of higher education, nonprofit  research organizations or governmental research organizations.

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What Nurse Positions Qualify and meet the Requisite Requirements for H-1Bs?

Category 1:  The first category of nurses who generally will be approved is the certified advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) category that includes:

·        Clinical nurse specialists (CNS’)
·        Certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNAs)
·        Certified nurse-midwives (CNMs)
·        Certified nurse practitioners (Nurse Practitioners fall within this   category

Category 2: The second category of nurses who may qualify for the H-1B are those in administrative positions requiring graduate degrees in fields such as nursing or health administration.

Category 3: A final, more subjective group that may receive H-1B approval includes those who have a nursing specialty such as critical care and peri-operative nurses, or who have passed examinations based on clinical experience in school health, occupational health, rehabilitation nursing, emergency room nursing, critical care, operating room, oncology, and pediatrics, ICU, dialysis and cardiology.

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At an American Academy of Nursing news briefing earlier this year on nurse-managed care and health solutions for our ailing healthcare system, former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala and others sent a coherent message:

Nurse practitioners (NPs) have developed an infrastructure of health centers and convenient care clinics (such as Minute Clinics) that can help our nation reform a health care delivery system that is currently unable to meet the primary health care needs of its people.  Shalala noted,“NPs are going to be key to health care reform and must be at the health care reform tables. Nurses are part of the solution.  It’s a solution in plain sight.”

Nurse Practitioners (NPs) have provided health-care services to patients for more than 40 years. The nurse practitioner role had its inception in the mid-1960s at the same time that Medicare was introduced, which dramatically increased the need for primary-care providers. In addition to providing many of the same services less expensively such as primary and some acute care, they are qualified to meet the majority of patients’ health-care needs. They promote a comprehensive approach to health care and emphasize the overall health and wellness of their patients.

NPs offer something else that makes them darlings to health reformers: a focus on patient-centered care and preventive medicine. “We seem to be health care’s best-kept secret,” says Jan Towers, health-policy director for the Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Nurse practitioners may have less medical education than full-fledged doctors, but they have far more training in less measurable skills like bedside manner and counseling.

NPs are registered nurses (RNs) who are prepared, through advanced education and clinical training and are granted either a certificate or a master’s degree that is most common today –  this is why they qualify for H-1Bs.

NPs work independently and collaboratively on the health-care team.  Some healthcare analysts and experts see nurse practitioners and Physician Assistants (PAs) as the answer to the growing physician shortage, particularly in primary care.

A TIME Magazine article published this year concerning nurse practitioners indicated that they would perform a key role in healthcare reform:  “Even without reform, experts on the health-care labor force estimate there is currently a 30% shortage in the ranks of primary-care physicians. Fewer than 10% of the 2008 graduating class of medical students opted for a career in primary care, with the rest choosing more lucrative specialties.  That could pose problems if a national health-care bill is enacted.”

After Massachusetts enacted mandates for universal health insurance in 2006, those with new coverage quickly overwhelmed the state’s supply of primary-care doctors, driving up the time patients must wait to get routine appointments. It stands to reason that primary-care doctors could be similarly overwhelmed on a national scale.

Depending on the state in which they practice, nurse practitioners, with advanced training can often treat patients and diagnose ailments as well as prescribe medication. And they can do these things at a lower cost than doctors.  Medicare, for example, reimburses nurse practitioners 85% of what is paid to doctors for the same services.

The new HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently said that “to make health reform a reality, we need nurses at the forefront of the effort.” Let us continue to hope that the Obama administration take the abundant opportunities that already exist to make such statements more than just rhetoric.

The Library of Congress’ Thomas database has a hyperlinked version of the new CIR SAP Bill that is better to use if you’re just trying to focus on any one section.  The important sections for Healthcare Immigration are Chapter I, Title III.

Sec. 301 – Recaptures past unused visa numbers
Sec. 302 – Exempts LPR dependents from the IV quotas.
Sec. 303 – Slightly increases the per country quotas.
Sec. 320 – Provides IV cap exemptions for certain STEM and shortage occupations
Sec. 321 – Allows those with pending IVs to file Adjustment of Status even if their priority date is not current.

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For your future reference here is a link to the O*NET for nurse positions that would quality for H-1Bs.  The O*NET is the Occupation Information Network sponsored by the Department of Labor and was released to replace the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.

If you missed our first 2 articles in this series, you can view them here:

Advanced Practice Nurses

Clinical Nurse Specialists

Again, remember — for citizens of Canada and Mexico, the TN classification is available under NAFTA as an alternative to the H-1B visa for RNs and other professions listed on the NAFTA List of Occupations.

Read more:

Time Magazine:  “If Healthcare Reform Passes, Nurse Practitioners Could be Key”

NurseZone:  Spotlight on Nurse Practitioners

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What can Immigration Solutions do for you?

We can consult with you to determine that the nature of the position and the beneficiary’s background are appropriate for an H-1B or any other nonimmigrant visa classification, and suggest alternatives if the initial proposal is not a viable option. We can advise both the employer and prospective employee regarding documentation requirements and legal issues – and successfully file your case with USCIS.  You can contact our office by email – or phone 562 612.3996.

The Immigration Policy Center has assembled a top 10 list of resources for 2009.

For those of you not familiar with the IPC, their staff regularly serve as experts and leaders on Capitol Hill, opinion-makers and the media.  Their mission:  To provide policy makers, the media and the general public with accurate information about immigrants and immigration policy on US society.  Their studies and reports are widely disseminated and relied upon.

Here’s their list.  What are your thoughts?

There’s been alot of chatter today about the introduction of Rep. Gutierrez’ (D-IL) immigration bill that is called Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Safety and Protection (CIR ASAP).

Yesterday, Rep. Gutierrez stated, “We have waited patiently for a workable solution to our immigration crisis to be taken up by this Congress and our President.  The time for waiting is over.”

To address some of the key points:

Backlog Reduction: This would be  a recapture of unused employment-based visas from  previous years (1992 – 2008) with an allowance for future unused visas to roll over the next year; exempting spouses and children from the annual cap; increasing the country quotas; the ability to file for AOS (adjustment of status; i.e. green-cards) before a visa number is available by paying a fee of $500, even thought a visa cannot be issued until a visa number is available.  This does, however, allow for work authorization, travel authorization and maintenance of status.

Employment Verification: Would make E-Verify work verification mandatory for all employers by phasing in current employees and new hires; would impose additional pealties on employers’ failure to follow the E-Verify program.

H-1B and L-1 Nonimmigrant Visas: Would impose requirements on employers to recruit US workers before applying for an H-1B and would increa3se penalties for H-1B violations.  Would create penalties for L-1 violations.

The Undocumented: Would create a 6-year ‘conditional’ non-immigrant status for undocumented (illegal) foreign nationals in the USA.  This would include work authorization and travel authorization; would waive unlawful presence bars and provide a path to permanent residence (green-card) and citizenship.

The Immigration Policy Center has an excellent 6-page more detailed review of the bill which we link to.

AILA applauded the introduction of Rep. Gutierrez’ Bill and stated, “We know how dedicated Rep. gutierrez is to immigration reform,” commented Bernie Wolfsdorf, president of AILA.  “Gutierrez has long been a strong and vocal leader in the CIR movement.  We look forward to analyzing this new CIR bill and hope to work with him and other members of Congress to fix our nation’s dysfunctional immigration system and help spur the country back to economic recovery.”

AILA further stated:  Already, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and members of the Congressional Black Caucus have endorsed the bill as a solution to both stem illegal immigration and promote legal migration that will protect and strengthen our nation’s economic and national security.

Gutierrez explained at his press conference yesterday that the Senate will still take the lead on debating immigration reform with a bill to be introduced by Sen Charles Schumer (D-NY), Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration.  Janet Napolitano (DHS Secretary) has indicated that they have provided extensive technical assistance to Schumer and his staff as they draft the bill that is predicted to be introduced early 2010.

We will continue to report on any and all news and progress on the immigration reform front.

If you’re interested in more reading….Homeland Security Today NY Times ABC News The Hill

Today, Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (R-IL) announced that on Tuesday, December 15th he will introduce a Comprehensive Immigration Bill.  Congressman Gutierrez stated, “We have waited patiently for a workable solution to our immigration crisis by this Congress and the President.  The time for waiting is over.  This bill will be presented before Congress recesses for the holidays so that there is no excuse for inaction in the New Year.”  He further states, “This bill is ‘enough’ and presents a solution to our broken system that we as a nation of immigrants can be proud of”.

In light of the debate still raging on health care, coupled with high unemployment, we have concern about timing.  We’ll see how this is received and will, of course, continue to report on this.  The good news is that the stage is being set for a conversation – hopefully early next year.

First they were arrested and faced deportation under what has proven to be the Obama administration’s only workplace raid.  Then they were given work permits and told they could stay in the USA while their employer was prosecuted…

Now, the more than 2 dozen undocumented workers arrested during the February raid are again facing deportation.

The deportations and likely removals are a conclusion to a case that displeased both advocates for illegal immigrants and those who lobby for stricter immigration enforcement.

In this case – the company, the workers and even the Seattle US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office that conducted the raid came in for some sort of punishment or special scrutiny

Shortly following the raid, ICE officials traded urgent emails going over Q&A sent by an apparently miffed White House, according to emails obtained by the AP through a federal records request.

In all, 27 workers have been deported; 7 have been allowed to leave the country voluntarily and 15 await court dates with an immigration judge, said ICE spokeswoman Lorie Dankers.

Read more

As reported by the American Immigration Council, Janet Napolitano delivered her first detailed speech today on immigration reform.  She indicated that the security and enforcement measures that have been undertaken have revealed that “the more work we do, the more it becomes clear that the laws themselves need to be reformed.”

She further commented, “DHS is ready to implement reform”, according to the Secretary who noted,  “We’ve ended a year-long backlog for background checks on applicants for green-cards and naturalization.  We’ve expanded the opportunity for a widow to gain legal status here, despite the untimely death of her US citizen spouse.  We’ve launched a new interactive website that allows people to receive information about the status of their immigration cases by email or text message, and we have reduced the time it takes to process those cases.”

Another positive message she conveyed was: “Businesses must be able to find the workers they need here in America, rather than having to move overseas.  Immigrants need to be able to plan their lives – they need to now that once we reform the laws, we’re going to have a system that works, and that the contours of our immigration laws will last.  And they need to know that they will have as many responsibilities as they do rights…This Administration does not shy away from taking on the big challenges of the 21 Century, challenges that have been ignored too long and hurt our families and businesses.”

An interesting comment by Ben Johnson, Executive Director of the American Immigration Council who attended the speech today noted, “Napolitano’s speech today evidenced a real understanding by the Administration of the comprehensive policy prescriptions necessary to reform a broken system…..Her clear statement on the value of immigrants to our society and economy, and the important role that immigration reform can play in building a foundation for growth and prosperity is a welcome response to the angry, misinformed rhetoric that has otherwise clouded the debate on immigration.”

We link to the video of Secretary Napolitano’s speech

Senators Bernard Sanders (I-VT) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) announced that they will introduce a bill to restrict the ability of employers to hire non-immigrant workers if the employer conducts “mass layoffs” under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. The new bill, titled the Employ America Act (EAA), will be introduced in the U.S. Senate soon.

EAA would require employers filing temporary worker petitions to attest that they have not had a “mass layoff” in the 12 months immediately preceding the foreign worker’s proposed hire date and that they do not intend to have a mass layoff in the future. In addition, if an employer does conduct a mass layoff, all existing visas approved in the 12 months before the employer issued a “WARN Notice” would expire 60 days after the notice. Affected foreign nationals would be required to leave the United States within the 60-day period.  We link to the Senate Press Release

The Warn Act defines a massive lay off as:  A reduction in force that will result in employment loss at a single employment site during any 30-day period of (1) at least 500 employees, not including part-time employees; or (2) 50 to 499 employees, excluding part-time employees, if the laid-off employees constitute at least 33% of the employees at the site, also not including part-time employees. For purposes of WARN, an employment loss is (1) an employment termination, other than a discharge for cause, a voluntary departure or retirement; (2) a layoff that exceeds six months; or (3) a reduction in an employee’s work hours of more than 50% in each month of any six-month period. However, certain transfers to other employment sites are not considered to be employment losses.  An employer is not required to issue a WARN Notice if a mass layoff is the result of the completion of a particular project or undertaking, if the workers were hired with the understanding that their employment would be of a temporary duration.

The good news is – with comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) on hold until next year, it is doubtful that this will pass although it still could be introduced in another piece or legislation.