An interview is the only thing standing in the way of 10,000 qualified and vetted foreign nurses coming to the U.S. to palliate the crumbling healthcare system.
These nurses seeking permanent residency have passed a licensure exam, submitted paperwork, and accepted jobs in the U.S., but they’re stuck in a holding pattern because of a bottleneck at that last stage of visa processing that requires an interview at the U.S. consulate in an applicant’s country of origin.
The pandemic has caused burned out younger nurses to leave the industry, older nurses to retire, and employees to use sick leave at higher rates, said Blair Childs, senior vice president of public affairs at the healthcare industry consulting firm Premier Inc. Addressing the backlogs “is the one thing that could be done in the short-term that would at least provide some relief,” Childs said.
