December 20, 2002

Certification Requirement for Health Care Workers

This week, the INS published regulations regarding certification requirements for healthcare workers. The rule, which is effective as of December 17, 2002, mirrors the INS admissibility requirement for visa applicants seeking to enter the United States as health care workers to obtain documentation of their professional credentials and qualifications from approved private credentialing agencies and provide that documentation to a consular officer in order to qualify for visa issuance. The regulation implements Section 343 of the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 requiring this certification.

However, after publication of the new rule, Mr. Ed Odom of the Department of State clarified that the waivers for nonimmigrants that INS and DOS have been employing have not been eliminated and will continue to be implemented.

  CFR: Visas: Uncertified Foreign Health-Care Workers (PDF/41 kb, 2 pages)