2004 News

Homeland Security Extends Deadline for Screening of Certain Foreign Healthcare Workers in U.S.; CGFNS Says Delay Offers Responsible and Targeted Relief

PHILADELPHIA, PA — JULY 20, 2004 — The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) welcomed the decision yesterday by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to extend the deadline for Mexican and Canadian health care workers to obtain a special visa certification to deliver patient care and services in the United States. The new deadline will be July 26, 2005. The extension will apply only to Mexican and Canadian citizens who were licensed and employed before September 23, 2003, in the United States in one of seven specific health care occupations, including nursing, and who previously were exempt under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). These Trade NAFTA (TN) health care workers would have been required for the first time to obtain the special visa certification if they had sought to enter the U.S. after July 26, 2004. The DHS rules are intended to ensure that foreign health care workers meet the professional training and standards necessary to provide patient care in U.S. hospitals and clinical facilities.

The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools, a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was designated by the U.S. Congress in 1996 to manage a health care worker visa certification program. CGFNS established a VisaScreen™ program to assess credentials of foreign health care workers and provide the government-required visa certificate mandated by the DHS rules.

"The DHS decision to grant an extension for foreign health care professionals with Trade NAFTA status is consistent with the suggestion we made last February to Secretary Tom Ridge ," said CGFNS CEO Barbara L. Nichols. "This decision will prove helpful for many communities, especially those bordering Canada , that rely on Canadian nurses and other health care professionals to meet their communities' health care needs. Although the government has provided enough time for the TN workers to meet the July, 2004 deadline, this delay offers responsible and targeted relief for many communities and will provide more time for hospitals and other facilities in affected areas to facilitate the screening process."

"We stand ready to work cooperatively with the DHS and health care professionals worldwide to facilitate the screening process," Nichols continued. "Healthcare consumers and professionals, alike, can take comfort in knowing that CGFNS has built an efficient tested infrastructure that has enabled us to process more than 49,000 applications for our VisaScreen™ certificate, assess the qualifications of foreign health care professionals to work in the United States, and protect the public interest."

CGFNS was founded in 1977 at the encouragement of several government agencies and nursing organizations. In addition to its VisaScreen™ program, CGFNS provides leadership in health care education, registration, and licensure to the global nursing and health care community. Throughout its history, CGFNS has demonstrated its commitment to excellence and quality in the health care arena and to fostering equitable treatment of health care professionals.

Please click for more information:

• USCIS News Release
• Interm rule published, July 22, 2004, in Federal Register
• Extension FAQs