Trump Rules Bar Foreign Nurses Willing to Help U.S.

[babylonsister]

Trump Rules Bar Foreign Nurses Willing to Help U.S.
By Bruce Einhorn
, Claire Jiao
, and James Paton
March 28, 2020, 5:00 PM EDT Corrected March 31, 2020, 1:58 AM EDT

Agencies recruiting from Philippines can’t get visas processed
U.K. has severe shortage after nurses left because of Brexit


As the coronavirus pandemic threatens to strain nursing staffs at hospitals across the U.S., Melanie N. Beckham knows where to find reinforcements. But first, the Trump administration needs to give its approval.

Beckham, president of Vintage Health Resources Inc. in Germantown, Tennessee, specializes in helping hospitals throughout the southeastern U.S. hire nurses from the Philippines, a country with a large population of English speakers and a long history of sending health-care workers abroad.

Of the several hundred Philippine recruits now in Vintage’s application process, more than 100 nurses have passed the licensing and language exams. They’ve completed background checks and are ready to head to the U.S. Yet they are stuck because they can’t get their visas processed.

“They could come tomorrow,” Beckham said. “The demand is overwhelming right now.”

Since President Donald Trump took office on a promise to crack down on immigration, nurses from the Philippines have faced more red tape. Officials return about 50% of Vintage’s applications and demand additional paperwork, up from just 5% of applications during the Obama administration, Beckham said.

The issue is becoming more urgent by the day because of the spread of Covid-19 cases throughout the U.S. At more than 104,000 infections, the country now has a higher tally than China and Italy.

more...

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-28/trump-rules-bar-thousands-of-foreign-nurses-willing-to-help-u-s

[2naSalit]

1. Never doubt that this is intentional.