Visas for Health Care Workers

When American workers are not available to fill positions in the health care and medical fields, the U.S. government makes it possible to hire foreign professionals to fill these openings.

Whether you are a foreign health care professional or a U.S. employer seeking to hire a qualified foreign medical professional, you can turn to Hanlon Law Group, P.C. for experienced help. For more than 20 years, our Los Angeles immigration attorneys have been assisting foreign nationals, as well as American hospitals and other health care facilities, in securing a variety of visas to meet their employment-related immigration needs.

Simply call (800) 976-5675 or email our firm to learn more about how we can help you. We are ready to explain the visa process, answer your questions and get you on the path to the immigration status change you’re seeking.

Schedule A Visas for Registered Nurses & Other Medical Professionals

Schedule A is a list of occupations that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has designated as being in shortage in the U.S. This list includes nurses, physical therapists and other medical professionals.

There are several advantages to petitioning for a Schedule A employment-based immigration visa:

• Employers seeking to hire foreign workers for shortage health care occupations in the U.S. can avoid the labor market test and other labor certification (PERM) procedures.
• Foreign employees can more easily gain permanent residence status.

At Hanlon Law Group, P.C. our Los Angeles Schedule A visa attorneys are skilled at assisting employers and foreign nationals in applying for nurse visas and other work visas under Schedule A. We provide comprehensive employment-based immigration services that include (but are not limited to):

• Preparing and filing petitions for visas
• Facilitating adjustment of status for exchange students and foreign workers currently living in the U.S.
• Filing for visa extensions or renewals
• Assisting with appeals following the denial of a previous visa petition.

Certifications for Health Care Workers1

Aside from doctors, health care workers seeking visas to enter the U.S. are required to secure USCIS-approved certifications to verify their:

• Education and training
• Professional licensing and experience
• English proficiency (both written and oral English language skills).

This certification must be presented to USCIS during the visa petition process. The specific types of health care professionals who are required to obtain these certifications include (but may not be limited to):

• Registered nurses, as well as practice nurses and licensed vocational nurses
• Medical technicians and technologists, including lab techs and clinical researchers
• Physical, occupational and speech therapists
• Physician assistants.

Health care worker certifications are also required if or when foreign nationals are seeking to extend or adjust their status in the U.S.

How to Start an Application for a Health Care Worker Visa

The process of applying for a health care worker visa will vary according to whether the foreign national intends to work temporarily or permanently in the U.S. In general, here’s how the application process starts:

• For nonimmigrant petitions, the process starts with an employer completing Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, and submitting it to USCIS. This Form can also be used to extend a foreign worker’s stay in the U.S. or to request a change in his or her status.

• For immigrant petitions, the process starts with an employer completing Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker. If a status adjustment is needed once the worker is in the U.S., Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, will need to be completed and submitted to USCIS.

The experienced immigration attorneys at Hanlon Law Group know what questions to ask and what information to gather to ensure a complete and accurate application without the expense of false starts and resubmissions. Contact us today to learn more about the process and our record of success helping our business clients get the right employment visas for their workers.

Contact a Los Angeles Immigration Lawyer at Hanlon Law Group, P.C.

If you are a health care employer looking to bring qualified foreign workers to the U.S. – or if you are a health care professional seeking a visa to come to and work in the U.S., contact a Los Angeles immigration lawyer at Hanlon Law Group, P.C.

Our immigration lawyers have decades of experience handling professional visa applications for clients across the world. We offer:

• Free, confidential initial consultations so that those seeking answers about nurse and health care visas can get the information they need and take the right steps as they proceed
• The latest in online immigration case management technology to facilitate the application process and empower petitioners to easily track the status of their application
• Personal, responsive service
• Cost-effective services and flexible payment options
• Leading immigration services and representation in a variety of languages, including in Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, Bahasa Indonesian, Tagalog and Fukienese.

Call (800) 976-5675 or email us using the contact form on this page to discover more about our experience and comprehensive employment-based immigration services.

From Pasadena, we serve clients throughout the Los Angeles area, across the state of California and around the world.

1: More on health care worker visas & certifications from USCIS