The H-1C visa was a visa that was previously available to foreign nationals seeking temporary employment in the United States. These visas were made available to foreign nurses coming into the United States to perform services as a registered nurse in areas with a shortage of health professionals as determined by the Department of Labor.[1] The creation of this visa was prompted by a nursing shortage.[1]
As of December 20, 2009, this visa classification has been expired. The last H-1C visas were issued in Fiscal Year 2012.
This non-immigrant/temporary worker classification was introduced by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services in 1999 to specifically address the lack of nurses in the United States.
To qualify for an H-1C visa one must have:[2]
Only 14 hospitals were publicly approved to participate in the H-1C visa program.[3] These hospitals are:
However, the Department of Labor stated that there may have been other hospitals eligible to participate.
The Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, had to be filed by a U.S. employer hospital that had received a notice of acceptance of the attestation for H-1C Nonimmigrant Nurses, from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The Form I-129 had to include the following documents:[2] [4]
An approved Form I-129 could be used to apply for a H-1C visa from a United States consulate abroad (consulates are under the U.S. Department of State) or change status to H-1C status within the United States if already present in legal status.
There were several restrictions placed on this visa during its implementation and valid period.[2]
On November 12, 1999, the 106th United States Congress passed the Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged Areas Act (P.L. 106-95), which called for the creation of a new H-1C visa for nurses going to work for up to three years in health professional shortage areas. Up to 500 nurses per year can get the visa, but each state is limited to 25 H-1C nurses a year.[1] [5] [6] The 1999 law is very similar to a 1989 law that created the H-1A visa for nurses.[7] [8] That visa category had expired in 1995 after unsuccessful efforts to extend its life.[9]
The key differences between the two programs are:[5]
One of the few immigration measures passed by the 109th United States Congress was the extension of the H-1C category. In November 2006, Congress approved legislation to extend the H-1C program for three more years.[5] This classification expired as of December 20, 2009.[6] [2] The last H-1C visas were issued in Fiscal Year 2012.
Below are H-1C visas issued each year. Years here are Fiscal Years. For instance, Fiscal Year 2004 is the period from October 1, 2003 to September 30, 2004.[10]
| Year | Total Number of Visas Issued | Numbers of Visas Issued to Each Country | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=center | 1999 | align=right | 0 | - | |
| align=center | 2000 | align=right | 0 | - | |
| align=center | 2001 | align=right | 34 | 34 issued in Belize | |
| align=center | 2002 | align=right | 211 | 210 in Philippines, 1 in Egypt, 1 in South Africa | |
| align=center | 2003 | align=right | 191 | 183 in Philippines, 1 in Lebanon, 1 in India, 1 in Serbia, 1 in Northern Ireland, 1 in Ireland, 1 in South Africa, 1 in Nigeria, 1 in Kenya | |
| align=center | 2004 | align=right | 110 | 106 in Philippines, 2 in mainland China, 1 in India, 1 in Finland | |
| align=center | 2005 | align=right | 62 | 59 in Philippines, 2 in Northern Ireland, 1 in Ghana | |
| align=center | 2006 | align=right | 8 | 7 in Philippines, 1 in Taiwan | |
| align=center | 2007 | align=right | 26 | 24 in Philippines, 1 in Northern Ireland, 1 in Australia | |
| align=center | 2008 | align=right | 143 | 32 in Thailand, 26 in Philippines, 26 in Denmark, 25 in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 13 in Ireland, 10 in Nepal, 1 in Zambia, 1 in India, 1 in Kuwait, 1 in Slovakia, 1 in Jamaica, 1 in Australia, 1 in New Zealand, 1 in Brazil | |
| align=center | 2009 | align=right | 121 | 107 in Philippines, 3 in South Korea, 2 in India, 2 in Germany, 2 in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1 in Ireland, 1 in France, 1 in Moldova, 1 in Sweden, 1 in Tanzania | |
| align=center | 2010 | align=right | 86 | 56 in Philippines, 14 in Jamaica, 3 in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1 in Unknown, 1 in Brazil, 1 in Panama, 1 in Mexico, 1 in The Bahamas, 1 in Belize, 1 in Pakistan | |
| align=center | 2011 | align=right | 128 | 107 in Philippines, 3 in South Korea, 2 in Indonesia, 2 in Germany, 2 in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1 in Ireland, 1 in Tanzania, 1 in Malaysia, 1 in Monaco, 1 in Switzerland | |
| align=center | 2012 | align=right | 174 | 156 in Philippines, 2 in South Korea, 2 in Mainland China, 1 in Nepal, 1 in Australia, 1 in Jamaica, 1 in New Zealand,1 in Slovakia, 1 in Brazil, 1 in Zambia, 1 in India, |