RETROGRESSION news : HR 5924
August 2008House Resolution 5924 was approved by the United States House of Representatives' Immigration Sub Committee on August 1, 2008. The next step for the Resolution is review by the House Judiciary Committee, after its August recess (their expected return is September 8).
The Subcommittee approval is significant because it shows the United States Senate the positive support of the Resolution by the House. This action also brings the measure one step further along in the legislative process.
When H.R. 5924 becomes law it will raise the cap on employment-based visas for qualified, foreign educated registered nurses and physical therapists and it will also direct funding toward domestic strategies to address the Nation's persistent registered nurse shortage.
For more information on H.R. 5924 including suggestions on how you can help while your Representatives in the House and Senate are on recess, please contact HCCA's Karen Fleming.
what is retrogression?
Retrogression refers to the resulting delay in obtaining an immigrant visa when there are more people applying for immigrant visas in a given year than the total number of visas available.
Congress imposed an annual limit to the number of immigrant visas ("green cards") the USCIS can issue each fiscal year. The total number of immigrant visas available each year is distributed amongst all applicants according to the category of eligibility (such as various family based or employment based categories) and the applicant's country of birth. This ensures an equitable distribution of the limited number of immigrant visas available each year. When the number of applicants from a particular country is greater than the number of visas available in a particular category, retrogression occurs and a "queue" is established.
