The Employment and Training Administration and the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor today published a Final Rule that will implement the Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged Areas Reauthorization Act of 2005. This Act reauthorized the Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged Areas Act of 1999 and has now finalized the rules in this act for enforcement.

The two acts stated above allow certain health care facilities to file attestation applications to employ alien workers as registered nurses under the H-1C Visa program in areas in which there are shortages of nurses. Additionally, the acts authorize the Department of Labor to review, approve and enforce these applications. This final rule will take effect on April 5, 2010.