Work Visas Restored to Specialized Canadian Nurses Working in U.S.

Following a week of mix-up, the border staff of the United States is beginning to issue out professional work permits to differentiated Canadian nurses employed at hospitals in the United States.

Hospitals and nurses alike have been in a state of panic over the past few weeks as the issuance of permits for specialized practicing nurses employed in Detroit hospitals were prohibited.

Citizens from the country of Canada that fall into these categories in the United States have been cleared for non-immigrant professional permits under the NAFTA (North American free trade agreement) for years.

But lately, that situation has changed when nurses who are putting forth applications for permit renewal and new permits were being rescinded. The past week, a nurse working at the Henry Ford hospital was turned back at the border due to the changes in the permit scheme.

A spokesperson for the United States custom services told reporters on Friday that the customs body required clarification on whether the qualified nurses from Canada were eligible for the special permits. “These health workers are of the registered nurse class of the special permit status,” Grogan, the public affairs officer with the customs body said.

The was made clear on Friday after members belonging to the migration attorney Association of America made efforts to contact the customs body to know why the applications of the nurses were being rescinded, even in the face of approval for years.

“They told us they are working to rectify the case and the nurses who are qualified will be allowed entrance into the country again,” Melanie Goldberg, vice-chairman of the attorneys’ association told reporters. An attorney for immigration Drew Porter stated that he believes the reason for this is because someone has a different perception of nurses as stated under the agreement with NAFTA.

“This case has been squashed, and the nurses can now safely return to the border as from Monday,” Porter told newsmen. Porter is a United States lawyer based in Windsor and is also a member of the migration attorney association.

Workers at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit disclosed that many nurses who had been denied entry into the United States had been in contact with them. One of the nurses who was disturbed when people started having their permit application rescinded was Patti Kunkel.

The nurse was disturbed that the alteration in permit application would have adverse effects on the nurses.