Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act

Increased Healthcare Staffing: The bill reserves 25,000 visas for professional nurses and 15,000 for physicians, which enhances the Nation's nurse and physician workforce (Sec. 2(2)(B)).

Fairer Access Regardless of Origin: Visas under this act are not subject to per-country numerical limitations, meaning the beneficiary's home country will not limit their ability to receive a visa (Sec. 2(2)(C)(i)).

Support for Families: Family members accompanying or following the principal beneficiary are entitled to an unreserved visa and do not count against the limits reserved for nurses and physicians (Sec. 2(3)(C)).

Faster and Cheaper Processing: The bill requires premium and expedited processing for these petitions, and explicitly states that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services may not charge a premium fee for these services (Sec. 2(4)(A)).

Protection of US Workers: For professional nurses, the petitioner must attest that hiring the immigrant has not and will not displace a United States worker (Sec. 2(5)).

Strict Time Limits: Benefits are only available to those whose immigrant worker petitions are filed no later than 3 years after the act is enacted (Sec. 2(2)(A)).

Limited Availability: The total number of available visas is capped at 40,000, meaning many other healthcare professionals may not benefit from this act (Sec. 2(2)(A)).

Eligibility Restrictions: Visas are only available to individuals if they are not already immediately available to them through existing worldwide and per country allocations (Sec. 2(2)(D)).