by Bong Reblando
"A law on immigration visa may be passed next year since US Congress is too busy now in the presidential campaign, a sagging economy, and the war in Iraq," Darlene Dilangalen Borromeo, associate director of Nursing at Bergen Medical Center in New Jersey, said.
She explained that the absence of immigration visas has stalled processing of applications of Filipino nurses, particularly those who have already passed the Nursing Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX).
Borromeo disclosed since the quota for Filipino nurses has already been consummed and only the US Congress is empowered by law to allocate new quotas for foreign workers including Filipinos wanting to work in the US, the US embassy in Manila has no visa to issue.
But the Philippine-born American nurse emphasized that the US Congress would prioritize the law on immigration visas since healthcare is one of the primary issues in the US presidential campaign.
"Certainly, a law on granting immigrant visas for foreign nurses and health workers is an immediate concern of the US Congress, the same way with economy and the war in Iraq," Borromeo said.
She said the US needs 1.2 million nurses in the next 10 years to cope with the country’s healthcare program as most nurses now are retiring, with their average age ranging between 45 to 65 years old.
On top of this, Borromeo also disclosed the need for more nurses in the US as many existing hospitals in the US are expanding and several others having been newly constructed.
A native of Barangay Lagao here, Borromeo made the remarks during the recent "Nursing Leaders Night" hosted by the Beta Nu Delta Nursing Society headed by Prof. Jerome Babate at the city’s downtown Family Country Hotel Convention Center.
The immediate president of the Philippine Nurses’ Association (PNA) in New Jersey, Borromeo attended the three-day International Nursing Conference in historic Manila Hotel last Jan. 31 to Feb. 1, along with her three nursing student scholars.
Borromeo is an honorary member of the Beta Nu Delta Nursing Society, which was founded by nurses and nursing students of Notre Dame Marbel University and Notre Dame of Dadiangas University in 1973. The Beta Nu Delta Nursing Society, which now accepts nursing students from Brokenshire Nursing College in the city, has conferred Borromeo as an honorary member, wherein she opened the Darlene Dilangalen Borromeo Nursing Leadership Program.
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3 comments:
This news is too unbelievable! Absence of visa??? Delay in granting of visa, yes. There is a quarterly allocation of immigrant (permanent resident) visas and a spill-off of visas from higher priorities. So there can be no absence, just a delay of 5 years. That is the meaning of the word, "retrogression". And US to allocate visas after the election? Such a false reassurance. The source of this info should straighten his/her facts first before divulging it to the hopeful nurses who had their VisaScreens already and are just awaiting for that packet that instructs them for a consular interview, who are actually in the center of oblivion right now after too many individuals cannot resist themselves in giving false reassurances...
Recession= retrogression= no visa available due to volumes of application of immigrant visa for a certain period of time. That is what the author want to say about "absent of visa". Another is, there is no false assurance pertaining to the article,in fact, the author just want to tell the reader that the Congress is currently considering an immigration reform bill that includes increases to the yearly quotas. But this will be done after the election because they will be busy now for the election campaign. "THEY DID NOT PROMISE THAT THE VISA WILL BE AVAILABLE, THEY WILL JUST PASS A BILL THAT NEEDS TO BE APPROVED" because healthcare in the US is the immediate concern. Try to read Manila Bulletin "source of this article". Please read carefully before reacting. :-P
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