The resumption in hiring of Filipino nurses in the United States is now possible with the passage of a law incorporating an amendment which provides for the recall of employment immigrant visas which were unused from 2001 to 2004, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported.

A report reaching Labor and Employment Secretary Patricia A. Sto. Tomas said the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-first Century Act of 2000 has been amended to provide for the recapture of 50,000 EB-3 visa numbers or employment-based immigrant visas which were not used during the fiscal years 2001-2004.

Philippine labor attache in Washington D.C. Arturo Sodusta apprised Sto. Tomas that the EB-3 amendment was incorporated into the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief Act, 2005 which was signed by President Bush last May 11.

Sodusta said the amendment providing for the recapture of 50,000 EB-3 visa numbers will be used exclusively for the “Schedule A” occupations such as registered nurses and physical therapists.