138 hospital personnel will be affected by worker regulations

A total of 138 employees of the Department of Public Health, mostly nurses at the Commonwealth Health Center, will be affected by the new foreign worker regulations recently issued by immigration authorities.

Public Health Secretary Joseph Kevin Villagomez told Saipan Tribune, however, that they have yet to finalize or determine whether these nurses will qualify for a CW-1 status or H-1 visa

Villagomez disclosed that in his meeting last year with Walter Haith of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, DPH was made aware that nonresident nurses who completed the two-year nursing program at Northern Marianas College and are NCLEX passers would qualify for CW status.

Because of mounting concerns expressed by affected nonresident nurses, Villagomez has asked for a new presentation by USCIS officials on the new regulations.

“We have been discussing this issue with them [nonresident employees] and to get better understanding about the CW and H1-B visa, we also requested a meeting with the USCIS to discuss this matter about our nurses,” he said.

Contrary to belief that nurses will not qualify for CW status, Villagomez said that this was not what he got from his first meeting with USCIS representatives last year.

“We’re not in that mind-frame. What we believe is: they [nurses] will qualify for CW because the only way they can qualify for H-1B visa is if the state acknowledges that it is only going to accept a four-year nursing degree as registered nurse. Majority of our nurses are BSN [bachelor of science in nursing]. If they will only accept the four-year degree, what will happen to all our nursing graduates from NMC? So anybody that NMC is producing will never be hired as a nurse, which defeats the intention of the transitional rule,” he explained.

This semester, NMC recorded its highest number of enrollees ever in its nursing program, with 40 students all taking clinical sessions at the hospital.

“We cannot walk away from NMC. This year, we’re very happy to accommodate all 40 students in the NMC nursing program. .If they pass NCLEX, does this mean they cannot work even in the backyards of their own homes?”

According to Villagomez, many nurses hired from NMC have passed the same NCLEX taken by those who completed the four-year degree.

“We will share with [federal officials] the information we got [last year] and we will ask for their guidance as to the next steps for DPH,” he said.

Villagomez assured that once USCIS affirms that nurses will qualify for CW status, the department will immediately begin filing its applications. He estimates the process to cost the department about $120,000.

However, the cost may go up to $585,000 if the affected nurses are made to apply for an H-IB visa.

“It’s going to be a concern for us.if we will process everyone for H-IB visa or petition for a green card. However, we have no choice but to hire them for our hospital,” he said, adding that if CW will not be extended to these nurses, this may impact their hiring of additional personnel.