Healthcare Blog

Slow news in January with Congress just getting back into session. Here is our January MMM, which includes stories on the CTIHS, nursing groups fighting for visas, reminders about fee increases at CGFNS and FCCPT, and other notes in the world of healthcare immigration.

The Department of State has just released its February 08 Visa Bulletin. Some slight changes, but nothing significantly different than January. The major bad news is that India EB2 is now retrogressed and will remain retrogressed until October 1, 2008.

Quick update on the CTIHS meetings. We’re still pushing hard for an amendment this year, ideally in the 1Q of 2008. It may be very difficult in light of the Presidential politics that are certain to dominate the landscape.

That having been said, most of the big staffing , law firms, and our allies in healthcare have re-committed to continuing the push and are pledging substantial time and money to the effort in early 2008.

We don’t know for sure what will happen in 2008, but we do know that without this re-commitment it will not happen.

Meetings have already been set up with the team of lobbyists and with Congressional staffers. Indeed, the first Congressional meeting happened yesterday, which should give everyone an idea just how committed we are to the legislation. We’re coming right out of the gate.

We are always looking for additional staffing companies, recruiters, and health care facilities to join the cause. If you are interested, please email Chris Musillo. For details on the program for 08, please see this.

The Republican side is even more muddled. Any of five candidates could win the national primary: Giuliani, Romney, Thompson, McCain, and Huckabee. Neither Giuliani nor Thompson, whose campaign seems to be waning, figures to finish high in Iowa. Giuliani still is expected to contend when the national primaries start in late January and February.

The Republicans have traditionally been the US’ ‘law and order’ party (candidate Fred Thompson was an actor on the TV program, “Law and Order”). The Republican candidates have been much more vocal in calling for a fence along the Mexican border and the deportation of the estimated 12-15 million illegal and undocumented.

McCain is the most overtly-friendly candidate on the issue of immigration. Giuliani is also generally seen as immigration friendly. Thompson has called for the reduction of visa backlogs.

Romney and Huckabee are thought to be more restrictionist than the others. Click below to read for yourself:

Romney’s Immigration Position

McCain’s Immigration Position

Huckabee’s Immigration Position

Thompson’s Immigration Position

Giuliani’s Immigration Position

The Blog took Christmas and New Years off, but we’re back. Tomorrow marks the official start of the year-long US Presidential election – the Iowa Caucus. The winners in Iowa will gain a head start in the run up for delegates. Each party’s delegate leader will get that party’s nomination.

For the Democrats, the pundits are calling Iowa a three way dead heat. John Edwards has been making a late push and needs to finish first in Iowa to remain in contention. The two national front runners: Hilary Clinton and Barak Obama need the other to do poorly in Iowa, although Iowa will not likely be fatal for either campaign.

As far as our pet issue is concerned none of the three leading Democrats have taken notable positions on immigration. Edwards has come out as a bit of a trade restrictionist, but that hasn’t exactly translated into anything close to an anti-immigration stance. Since he is the most liberal of the three it seems likely that he might push for a legalization program if elected, although that is by no means certain. Both Obama and Clinton have middle positions on immigration and would likely support a nurse visa program, although it is doubtful that either would outright push for the issue.

Tomorrow: a quick look at the Republicans.