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What is the H-1C Visa for Nurses
The Nursing Relief established the H1C category for registered nurses for Disadvantaged Areas Act of 1999 (NRDAA) (Pub. L. No. 106-95) and is based on the former H1A visa category for nurses, which expired on September 30, 1997. The H1C classification, designed for registered nurses working in health professional shortage areas (HPSAs), is a restrictive category due to its cap on the number of visas issued annually and its application only to underserved areas.

The H1C category is scheduled to expire on December 20, 2009, so all H1C petitions must be filed by that date. The procedure for an H1C is somewhat similar to the procedure for an H1B. In addition to the attestation that must be filed with the DOL, a petition must also be submitted to the USCIS. More than one nurse may be included on a petition. H1C nurses may be approved for a period of admission to the United States of up to three years. Upon the expiration of the admission period, the status may not be extended.

Five hundred H1C visas may be issued each fiscal year. States with a population of fewer than 9 million as of 1990 may have no more than twenty-five (25) H1C visas annually. States with more than 9 million may have no more than fifty (50) H1C visas annually. If all available visas in a fiscal year quarter are not used, the visas may be issued to states regardless of population of the state cap during the last fiscal year quarter.

Who is Eligible?
To qualify for H1C status, a nurse must :
  • Have a full and unrestricted nurse's license in his or her home country, or have received nursing education in the United States
  • Have passed an appropriate examination [as determined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)], or have a full and unrestricted license to practice as a registered nurse in the state of intended employment
  • He fully qualified and eligible under all state laws and regulations to practice as a registered nurse in the state of intended employment immediately upon admission to the United States.


H-1C Eligible Hospitals
The DOL identified the following 14 hospitals as currently eligible to participate in the H1C program:

  • Beaumont Regional Medical Center, Beaumont, Texas
  • Beverly Hospital, Montebello, California
  • Doctors Medical Center, Modesto, California
  • Elizabeth General Medical Center, Elizabeth, New Jersey
  • Fairview Park Hospital, Dublin, Georgia
  • Lutheran Medical Center, St. Louis, Missouri
  • McAllen Medical Center, McAllen, Texas
  • Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland
  • Mercy Regional Medical Center, Laredo, Texas
  • Peninsula Hospital Medical Center, Far Rockaway, New York
  • Southeastern Regional Medical Center, Lumberton, North Carolina
  • Southwest General Hospital, San Antonio, Texas
  • St. Bernard Hospital, Chicago, Illinois
  • Valley Baptist Medical Center, Harlingen, Texas

The DOL has acknowledged that there may be other hospitals eligible to participate.
The restrictions on both the facility and the nurse hamper the effectiveness of the H1C Program. Few facilities qualify to apply for H1C visas and the small annual cap and limited three-year stay requirements imposed on the nurse effectively make the H1C an option for only a small group of nurses.
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