Bill Summary
The "National Urgent Recruitment for Skilled Employees Visa Act of 2026" (NURSE Visa Act of 2026) seeks to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide a nonimmigrant visa category specifically for nurses working in designated shortage areas. Key provisions include:
1. **Visa Allocation**: The bill increases the number of nonimmigrant visas available for nurses from 500 to 20,000, allowing these visas to be issued for employment in areas experiencing a shortage of nursing staff.
2. **Staffing Ratios**: It mandates that healthcare facilities employing these nurses must have policies in place regarding provider-to-patient staffing ratios, ensuring adequate care standards.
3. **Regulatory Framework**: The bill requires the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and State to establish regulations to implement these changes within one year of the bill's enactment.
4. **Effective Date**: The provisions of the Act will become effective immediately upon its enactment.
Overall, this legislation aims to address the nursing shortage in specific areas by facilitating the entry of foreign nurses into the U.S. healthcare system.
Possible Impacts
The "National Urgent Recruitment for Skilled Employees Visa Act of 2026" (NURSE Visa Act of 2026) could have several implications for different groups of people. Here are three examples:
1. **Improved Healthcare Access in Shortage Areas**:
The Act allows for the issuance of 20,000 nonimmigrant visas specifically for nurses working in designated shortage areas. This could lead to an increase in the number of healthcare professionals in underserved regions, improving access to medical care for residents in those areas. Patients in these regions may experience shorter wait times, better quality of care, and overall improved health outcomes.
2. **Opportunities for International Nurses**:
By creating a pathway for 20,000 nonimmigrant visas for nurses, the legislation provides significant employment opportunities for qualified nurses from other countries. This could attract skilled healthcare workers to the U.S., allowing them to gain valuable experience and contribute to the healthcare system. For these nurses, it could mean better job prospects, the ability to live and work in a new country, and potential pathways to permanent residency over time.
3. **Regulatory Changes Affecting Healthcare Facilities**:
The Act mandates that healthcare facilities must establish a provider-to-patient staffing ratio policy as a condition for hiring nonimmigrant nurses. This could lead to changes in operational practices within these facilities, potentially enhancing the working conditions for all nursing staff. While this may improve patient care, it could also result in increased administrative responsibilities for healthcare facilities to comply with new regulations, which may impact their staffing and financial resources.
Overall, the NURSE Visa Act of 2026 has the potential to positively affect healthcare delivery, improve employment opportunities for international nurses, and reshape staffing policies in U.S. healthcare facilities.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7351 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7351
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide nonimmigrant
status to nurses working in certain facilities.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 4, 2026
Mr. Beyer introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide nonimmigrant
status to nurses working in certain facilities.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``National Urgent Recruitment for
Skilled Employees Visa Act of 2026'' or the ``NURSE Visa Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION OF NONIMMIGRANT NURSES.
(a) Number of Visas.--Section 212(m)(4) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(m)(4)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``500. The number of such visas issued for
employment in each State in each fiscal year shall not exceed
the following:'' and inserting ``20,000. Such visas shall be
issued to employ a nonimmigrant to perform nursing services in
a shortage area (as designated by the the Administrator of the
Health Resources and Services Administration).''; and
(2) by striking subparagraphs (A) through (C).
(b) Provider Staffing Ratio Required.--Section 212(m)(6) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(m)(6)) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(C) The facility has in place a policy with
respect to a provider-to-patient staffing ratio.''.
(c) Regulations Required.--Not later than one year after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human
Services and the Secretary of State shall issue regulations necessary
to implement the amendments made by this section.
(d) Applicability.--This Act, and the amendments made by this Act,
shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and shall
apply to a petition for a nonimmigrant visa issued pursuant to a
petition granted under section 101(a)(15)(H)(i)(c) of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H)(i)(c)).
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