Beyer Introduces Legislation to Address Nationwide Nursing Shortage

Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) today introduced the National Urgent Recruitment for Skilled Employees (NURSE) Visa Act to address the nationwide nursing shortage by making visas available to foreign nurses working in areas where the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has determined there is a nursing workforce shortage.

"Across the country, healthcare facilities are facing staffing struggles because we simply don't have enough nurses. As our health care system grapples with an increasing number of retiring nurses, the continued ripple effects of the pandemic, and continued high demand for skilled nursing professionals, we are approaching a critical tipping point where acute nurse staffing shortages are driving burnout leading to a compounding cycle," said Rep. Don Beyer. "My bill, the NURSE Visa Act, would bolster the nursing workforce by allowing qualified foreign nurses to fill these gaps, ensuring that hospitals and clinics remain adequately staffed and American families get the timely, high-quality care they expect and deserve."

Specifically, the NURSE Visa Act would create 20,000 nonimmigrant visas per fiscal year to employ nurses in areas where the HRSA has determined there is a nursing workforce shortage and where the facility has a provider-to-patient staffing ratio in place.

The United States has long struggled with nursing workforce shortages, which were further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the current domestic training infrastructure will be unable to meet these needs in the near term. According to a Health Workforce Analysis published by the HRSA in December 2025, federal authorities project a shortage of 267,330 full-time registered nurses (RN) in 2028 and a shortage of 204,690 full-time RNs in 2033.

Text of the National Urgent Recruitment for Skilled Employees (NURSE) Visa Act is available here.