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Congress·In Committee·26 days ago

House Bill Would Boost Nurse Visas From 500 to 20,000 to Fill Healthcare Shortages

Also known as: NURSE Visa Act of 2026

Legislative Progress

✓ Filed
Review
House
Senate
President

Impact Analysis

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Key Points

  • This bill would significantly increase the number of work visas available for international nurses from 500 to 20,000 per year. The goal is to help fill thousands of empty nursing jobs in hospitals and clinics across the country.
  • These nurses would be required to work in "shortage areas," which are specific communities that the government has identified as not having enough medical professionals to care for the local population.
  • To hire these international nurses, hospitals and clinics must have a policy that sets a limit on how many patients one nurse can look after at a time. This is meant to ensure that both the nurses and the patients stay safe and receive proper care.
  • The plan removes old limits that restricted how many visas could be used in each state. This change allows nurses to move to the specific towns or cities where the staffing crisis is the worst, regardless of which state they are in.
  • If this becomes law, government agencies will have one year to create the official rules and start the program. This could provide much-needed relief to rural hospitals and busy city clinics facing high levels of staff burnout.
ImmigrationHealthcareLabor Employment

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Feb 4, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Feb 4, 2026

Introduced in House

Related News

3 articles
Becker's Hospital Review·19 days ago

2 federal bills tackle nurse shortages

The National Urgent Recruitment for Skilled Employees (NURSE) Visa Act, introduced by Rep. Don Beyer, would create 20,000 nonimmigrant visas per fiscal year for nurses in shortage areas. Facilities must maintain a provider-to-patient staffing ratio to participate.

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SIA (Staffing Industry Analysts)·19 days ago

Addressing the nursing staffing crisis: Current challenges and strategies for the future

Rep. Don Beyer's NURSE Visa Act aims to mitigate the nationwide nursing shortage by providing 20,000 annual visas for foreign nurses. The bill requires these professionals to work in HRSA-designated shortage areas and mandates that employers implement safe staffing ratio policies.

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Virginia Mercury·26 days ago

Beyer introduces bill to bring 20,000 foreign nurses to U.S. shortage areas

Virginia Rep. Don Beyer introduced the NURSE Visa Act to address a projected shortage of over 260,000 nurses. The bill would increase the cap on specialized nursing visas from 500 to 20,000, provided the nurses work in underserved regions and hospitals adhere to strict staffing ratio standards.

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Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

NURSE Visa Act of 2026

Bill NumberHR 7351
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsor

Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.