NURSE Visa Act of 2026
Summary
What This Bill Does
The NURSE Visa Act expands the narrow H-1C nurse visa pathway. It replaces the existing 500-visa state cap with 20,000 visas per state per fiscal year, limits those visas to nursing services in shortage areas designated by HRSA, removes the old state-specific cap schedule, and requires facilities using the visa to have a provider-to-patient staffing-ratio policy. HHS and the State Department must issue implementing regulations within one year, and the amendments apply immediately to petitions for H-1C nurse visas.
Who Benefits and How
Hospitals, nursing facilities, healthcare employers in HRSA shortage areas, foreign nurses, and patients in underserved communities benefit because the bill greatly increases potential H-1C nurse admissions tied to shortage-area work. Facilities with staffing shortages gain a larger recruitment channel if they maintain a staffing-ratio policy.
Who Bears the Burden and How
HHS, HRSA, the State Department, USCIS petition processors, and participating healthcare facilities bear implementation and compliance duties. Domestic nurses and labor organizations may face workforce-supply pressure if employers use the expanded visa channel instead of improving wages or working conditions.
Key Provisions
- Raises the H-1C nurse visa cap from 500 to 20,000 per state per fiscal year.
- Limits the visas to nursing services in HRSA-designated shortage areas.
- Requires participating facilities to maintain a provider-to-patient staffing-ratio policy.
- Directs HHS and the State Department to issue implementing regulations within one year.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Raises the H-1C nonimmigrant nurse visa cap to 20,000 per state for nurses working in HRSA-designated shortage areas and adds a facility staffing-ratio policy requirement.
Key Policy Areas
Immigration, Healthcare, Labor
Primary Purpose
Raises the H-1C nonimmigrant nurse visa cap to 20,000 per state for nurses working in HRSA-designated shortage areas and adds a facility staffing-ratio policy requirement.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Healthcare employers
- Foreign nurses
- Patients in underserved communities
- HRSA shortage areas
Identified Costs
- HHS
- HRSA
- State Department
- USCIS
- Participating healthcare facilities
- Domestic nurses
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Mr. Beyer introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Foreign nurses, HHS, Healthcare employers
Positive-direction: Foreign nurses, Healthcare employers, Patients in underserved communities
Negative-direction: HHS, Participating healthcare facilities
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "Secretary"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services or Secretary of State as applicable
- "Administrator"
- → Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology