A bipartisan approach to America's nursing shortage
There are thousands of qualified international nurses who have passed background checks, US licensure and English language exams, but cannot complete their visa applications because of green card apportionment rules. The HWRA would fix that.
US Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Cornyn (R-TX), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Todd Young (R-IN), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced in March 2021 the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a stopgap healthcare proposal to recapture previously unused visas for qualified international nurses to help meet the unprecedented challenges facing the US healthcare system.
The HWRA would recapture and reallocate 25,000 previously issued but unused immigrant visas for nurses and another 15,000 for doctors. All clinicians would be required to pass licensure and English language exams, have a spotless overseas record, and have graduated from an equivalent international medical program.
The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act is supported by dozens of organizations including
- American Association of International Healthcare Recruitment
- American Academy of Family Physicians
- American Academy of Neurology, American College of Rheumatology
- American Geriatrics Society
- American Hospital Association, American Organization for Nursing Leadership
- American Society of Hematology
- Physicians for American Healthcare Access
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- National Rural Health Association
- American Medical Association
- Society of Hospital Medicine
- Federation of American Hospitals
- American College of Physicians
- Ascension Catholic Health Association of the U.S.
- Healthcare Leadership Council
- National Kidney Foundation
- Society of Critical Care Medicine
- American Immigration Lawyers Association
- FWD.us
- National Immigration Forum
- Bipartisan Policy Center
- American Business Immigration Coalition
Dick Durbin
U.S. Senator, D-IL
John Cornyn
U.S. Senator, R-TX
Patrick Leahy
U.S. Senator, D-VT
Todd Young
U.S. Senator, R-IN
Chris Coons
U.S. Senator, D-DE
