Senator MOSELEYBRAUN. It is designed to address a serious problem facing health care providers and patients in rural and inner city areas. Specifically. the legislation provides a 1year visa extension for foreign nurses under the expired HlA Program. It is supported by the American Nurses Association. the American Hospital Association. the American Health Care Association. and the American Business Council for Fair Immigration Reform. In 1989. Congress passed the Imnmigrant Nursing Relief Act which created the H1A Visa Program to address a nationwide nursing shortage which existed at that time. The HlA Visa Program expired in September 1995. As a result. many rural and inner city hospitals. nursing homes. and other health care facilities will lose the valuable services of foreign nurses who enable these facilities to meet the health care needs of their communities. While the shortage has subsided in most parts of the country. shortages continue in many rural and inner city areas. Foreign educated nurses holding HlA visas fill an important void which continues to exist in certain areas. Without their professional services. the quality of patient care would dramatically decrease. In addition.
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visa Visa visas Immigration