After seeing a significant movement on the priority dates for the employment based, or Schedule A visas, for Filipino Nurses the past month, the Department of State has updated the Visa Bulletin for July 2007 to a current "C" status. This means that all the applications affected by the retrogression of October 2006 are going to be scheduled for an interview once their approved petitions are forwarded to the embassies through the National Visa Center (NVC). There may be an expected delay in receiving an appointment date due to the bulk of approved petitions now ready for interview. The USCIS is accepting I-140 and I-485 applications again. There is no assurance that the retrogression will be permanently ceased and we may expect another retrogression if no good resolution for the nursing shortage will be passed in the US Congress before October of this year.
For those who have patiently waited for this very good news on retrogression, congratulations from Filipino Nurses 2 US.
I have already applied for a US immigrant Visa and my priority date is July 6, 2007. At first the processing was really fast but as it was getting close to the issuance of the date of interview it became sluggish---worst, stagnant. Until now I'm still here in the Philippines. All my agency could reply to my emails is “thank you for your patience.” It keeps me wondering if is it my agency that has a problem or am I still affected by the retrogression? It's almost three years since I applied and I can't help but to feel pathetic with my nursing career becoming fruitless.
Posted by: pathetic nurse | October 05, 2009 at 03:42 AM