The number of baby boomers turning 65 years old is rapidly increasing, and, unfortunately, many of them have multiple chronic health conditions ranging from diabetes to dementia. Yet, the supply of caregivers is not keeping pace with the increasing demand for their services. Over 25% of caregivers are foreign-born, yet our broken immigration system does not provide for a temporary working visa category for them.
Some Good News
In the past, many employers have been reluctant to sponsor caregivers for green cards because of long government waiting times.
For example, as recently as October 2015, the waiting time to get a green card for a caregiver born in the Philippines (where many of the caregivers were born) was over 7 years. However, over the past few years, the waiting times have decreased considerably.
In June 2019, the waiting times for the Employment-Based 3rd Category (EB-3) for professionals, skilled and unskilled workers born not only in the Philippines, but in almost every country of the world, shrunk to zero!
Who qualifies as a caregiver? Generally, employers will request that a caregiver have 2-3 years of experience caring for seniors or patients. Among those who qualify are nurses, whether RNs, LPNs or CNAs.
