THE PHILIPPINE STAR

THE PHILIPPINE STAR

neurs FRIDAY I FEBRUARY 8, 2dI9

'Nurses
not covered
by US
work ban'
By JEss DlAz
Nurseg including Filipinos, are not cov-
. ered bv the US Deoarnnent of Homeland
Sgcuriry's ban on ie issuance of new work
visas to foreigir workers, a lawmaker repre-
senting overieas Filipino workers (OFWs)
said vesterdav
"iilipino'nrrt"t entering America
tlrrough fhe spr)nsorship of their prospec-
ti v e U-5 em ploye rs apply for an d are iss ued
a separate cnlry petmit - the H-18 visa"'
Rep. Aniceto Bertiz lll u[ Paftyli\t grouP
ACTS-OFW said.
Bertiz said the H-18 visa prograryr allows
L S emp.loycrs tohire ioreign sta'ff, induding
nurses, in select occupations that requirc
the application of specialized l<nowledge
and i irachelor'd delree or ihe equivalent
work experience.
He ailded the visa ban covers mostly
trainees and agricultural workers.
Bertiz predicted that thc demand for
Filipino nurses in the US would steadilv
inciease in the vears ahead.
"America's 'nursing work{orce is grow-
ing old ald they arc nol producing new
*11gJses fasl enoqgfr,'mainly becau:e Lhey
;$g[< teaching sta#aJ*lErf, US schools arc
Srfrning awav wbuld&e q!'sing students
4ffe to"th" inot$'gf df q.lfirei insLruc-
tors," he said.
. In Catifomia alone, Filipinos account {or
some 20 percen I of the sl a [e's entire nursing
labor force, Bertiz said.
He said a tolal of 187,103 Filipino nurses
have taken America's nursing licensure
examination for the first time since 1995.
Last year, 10,30? Filipino nurses hoping
to land jobs in the US took the licensure
exaln.
Bertiz said the 2018 figure "was uP 32
percent ver$us lhe7,79l Filipino nurses who
took lhe eligbi[ty test for lhe first time in
2017, withbut counting rcpeaterc."
He said 1,232 indians, 1,017 Puerto Ri-
cars, 783 South Koreans and 601 Nigerians
also took the exam for the first time in 2018.
Bertiz laid examinees have to pay $200
(P10s00).
Citing latest data ft'om the US nursing
board, Bertiz said Jamaicans, Canadians and
Cubans compete with Filipinos inAmerica's t*PAg--6-"
nursing labor market.