Foreign Health-Care Workers Sidelined as Staffing Crisis Surges

An interview is the only thing standing in the way of 10,000 qualified and vetted foreign nurses coming to the U.S. to palliate the crumbling health-care system.

These nurses seeking permanent residency have passed a licensure exam, submitted paperwork, and accepted jobs in the U.S., but they’re stuck in a holding pattern because of a bottleneck at that last stage of visa processing that requires an interview at the U.S. consulate in an applicant’s country of origin.

The pandemic has caused burned out younger nurses to leave the industry, older nurses to retire, and employees to use sick leave at ...