The NURSE Visa Act of 2024 would expand a visa program that allows foreign nurses to work temporarily in the United States. Currently, only 500 such visas are available per state each year, but this bill would increase the annual limit to 20,000 total visas nationwide and redirect them specifically to nurses working in areas designated as having nursing shortages by federal health officials. The legislation would affect healthcare facilities experiencing nursing shortages as well as foreign-trained nurses seeking employment in the U.S. To implement the program, the bill requires the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and State to issue regulations within one year of the law's enactment. The bill also adds a requirement that facilities using this visa program must have policies in place addressing provider-to-patient staffing ratios.
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