2011 NPTE SUMMIT TO FOCUS ON SECURITY
June 6, 2011
FSBPT has scheduled an NPTE Summit to focus on policy implications for PT licensure in light of recent NPTE security breaches. FSBPT seeks to create a set of recommendations to the FSBPT board of directors about the testing process and to develop a preliminary communication strategy of the recommendations to members and stakeholders.
Expected attendees include jurisdiction members and administrators, FSBPT committee members and representatives of APTA’s board and staff, Academic Council, Student Council, PTA Caucus and Prometric. The AAIHR should also be in attendance.
The NPTE Summit is scheduled for July 29-31, 2011 in Dallas, Texas.
TWO NEW NURSE BILLS INTRODUCED
May 31, 2011
Two recent bills have been introduced in the US Congress, both of which purport to ease the immigration process for healthcare professionals.
HR 1929 has been introduced by Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI). Rep. Sensenbrenner has long been harsh on legalization of the undocumented, but sensible on immigration for professionals. Rep. Sensenbrenner has submitted versions of HR 1929 in past Congressional sessions, although none have ultimately become law. Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) is a co-sponsor of the bill.
HR 1929 calls for 20,000 immigrant visas to be issued to Registered Nurses. Nurse’s immediate families would also get immediate immigrant visas, but they would not count against the 20,000 quota. In order to use these special visas, employers would be charged an additional $1,500, which would go to funding US nursing programs. These visas also would be available for Physical Therapists. This bill is very similar to several prior bills, notably the Schedule EX visa in the mid-2000s that allowed a one-time visa quota of 50,000 visas for nurses and their families.
While MU applauds the introduction of HR 1929, we expect that the bill will not be enacted into law.
HR 1933 has been introduced by Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas. Like Rep. Sensenbrenner, Rep. Smith has long been harsh on legalization of the undocumented, but sensible on immigration for professionals. Rep. Smith’s bill calls for the revival of the H-1C program. The H-1C program had been around since the mid-1990s and allowed 14 special hospitals the opportunity to employ nurses. These 14 hospitals are mainly in Texas, which explain Rep. Smith’s sponsorship. The H-1C expired in December 2009 and was not reenacted.
MU is in favor of passage of HR 1933, but we are also skeptical that the bill can become law.
NPTE EXAM DATES FOR 2012
May 23, 2011
FSBPT has set the NPTE Exam test dates for 2012. FSBPT established a uniform testing policy after it found evidence of testing breaches. In response to testing breaches, FSBPT first sought to establish a separate but equal NPTE exam for graduates of Philippine, Egyptian, Indian, and Pakistani schools.
A Georgia court ruled that the FSBPT's plan was invalid under law and recently settled the lawsuit with the Georgia plaintiffs. The fixed-date testing program was the outcome of the lawsuit.
The 2012 testing dates are:
January 30, 2012
March 29, 2012
July 2, 2012
July 31, 2012
October 23, 2012
MU LAW GALA SPONSOR OF IACC
May 18, 2011
Musillo Unkenholt LLC is proud to be a Gala sponsor at tonight’s First Anniversary Gala Celebration for the Indian American Chamber of Commerce – Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.
In addition to Musillo Unkenholt, Gala sponsors include US Bank, University of Cincinnati Health, Fifth Third Bank, Anthem Health, PNC Bank, Cincinnati Children Hospital, and a dozen other local Cincinnati businesses.
The event features comedian Rajiv Satyal, as the Master of Ceremonies, traditional Indian dance groups, business leaders and other dignitaries.
JUNE 2011 VISA BULLETIN
May 16, 2011
| June 2011 Visa Bulletin | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Other Countries | China | India | Mexico | |
| EB-2 | Current | 15OCT06 | 15OCT06 | Current |
| EB-3 | 15SEPT05 | 15MAY04 | 22APR02 | 22DEC04 |
PRES. OBAMA’S IMMIGRATION SPEECH
May 10, 2011
On Tuesday President Obama is expected to make a major immigration speech at the US-Mexican border town of El Paso, Texas. That the speech is taking place in El Paso speaks volumes about the US’ immigration policy; the debate on the undocumented overwhelms any other immigration issues that this country has.
The need for healthcare workers in this country is about to explode. Both private and public economic forecasters predict that the jobs that grew in the 2000-10 decade will be the jobs where growth is seen in the 2011-20 decade. The Department of Labor says that these are largely healthcare jobs. It will be telling if the President tries to position legitimate immigration alongside his enforcement aims.
WHAT THE LACK OF H-1B FILINGS REALLY MEANS
May 4, 2011
This year a mere 9,200 cap-subject H-1B Petitions have been filed through April 29. In prior years we have seen many more H-1B cases accepted as slots were available; in the go-go years of the 2000s, the H-1B cap was reached on the first day.
This year's paucity of H-1B Petitions provides compelling evidence against the argument that internationally-trained workers are being used to displace American workers and lower US workers' salaries. That argument just does not jibe with what is actually happening.
If H-1B visa labor was being used primarily to lower US workers salaries, the H-1B filing numbers wouldn’t be impacted to any meaningful degree. Why? Because the incentive to reduce workers’ salaries is likely greater in a recessed economy, not less. This logic is straightforward.
Yet, this year we’ve seen a dramatic downtick in H-1B visas filed in industries like Information Technology and Finance. Meanwhile industries with continued staffing shortages, such as healthcare and teaching, continued to file H-1B Petitions. If the H-1B program was being used to lower salaries, why aren’t the IT and financial industries continuing to file H-1B petitions? Are these industries not interested in cutting costs?
Critics of the H-1B system fail to acknowledge just how well the system actually works. In robust times, the H-1B system allows growing companies to attract more workers from overseas when they can't fill those jobs with US workers. In down times, when jobs are few, the market does what it is supposed to do and fewer H-1B job offers are made.
If Congress really wants to reform the H-1B process, it ought to eliminate the arbitrary quota and just let the market sort out the numbers question. Congress also ought to give non-bachelor degree occupations with well-documented staffing shortages, such as nursing, access to the H-1B program.
H-1 CAP MOVES SLOWLY
April 29, 2011
The Fiscal Year 2012 (FY2012) H-1B cap season began on April 1, 2011. Since April 1, a mere 8,000 H-1B cap-subject Petitions have been receipted by USCIS. This is much lower than in recent years and likely reflects the fact that while the US economy has improved in the recent months, it is not nearly as robust as it was in the middle part of the last decade.
The USCIS has receipted in about 6,000 Masters Cap H-1B Petitions. To put this in perspective, in FY 2011, which began April 1, 2010, the USCIS has receipted about 20,000 H-1Bs through May 1, 2010. In FY 2009, there was about 40,000 H-1Bs receipted in by USCIS through May 1, 2009. For the prior three fiscal years (FY 2006-08), the H-1B cap was reached on the very first day of filing.
Many healthcare professions ordinarily qualify for H-1B status, including Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Language Therapists, and some Registered Nursing positions.
For three years the H-1B demand has decreased. This should put paid to the idea that H-1B workers are used to drive down US worker’s wages. If H-1B workers were used to drive down wages, H-1B demand would remain consistent in a decreasing economy.
BLS: HEALTHCARE JOBS STILL GROWING
April 26, 2011
Health care employment continued to increase in March (+37,000 jobs). Over the last 12 months, health care has added 283,000 jobs, or an average of 24,000 jobs per month. The conclusion remains the same for employers in this sector as it has for the previous 20+ years: internationally-trained staff will remain a significant part of the US healthcare workforce.