Letter: AHA opposes amendment that would prevent much-need nurses from entering U.S.

On behalf of our nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, and our clinician partners – including more than 270,000 affiliated physicians, 2 million nurses and other caregivers – and the 43,000 health care leaders who belong to our professional membership groups, the American Hospital Association (AHA) writes in opposition to the amendment included in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Bill in the House Appropriations Committee sponsored by Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-KS) (amendment is H.R. 392 language). This amendment would impact nurse immigration from many countries, and adversely affect the ability of America’s hospitals and health systems to provide care in communities across the country.

The Yoder Amendment, adopted in the House appropriations bill over the objection of the Judiciary Committee which has jurisdiction over immigration, would eliminate the per-country cap for immigrant visas. Eliminating the per-country cap would be a dramatic change in our immigration policy with negative consequences. It would take the country of origin for high-skilled workers completely out of the equation of who receives a visa, and instead allocate visas based on wait time. The result would prevent much-needed foreign-trained nurses to enter the U.S. for the next five to seven years or more.