I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5283 
To enhance our Nation’s nurse and physician workforce by recapturing unused 
immigrant visas. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 10, 2025 
Mr. SCHNEIDER (for himself and Mr. BACON) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To enhance our Nation’s nurse and physician workforce by 
recapturing unused immigrant visas. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Healthcare Workforce 
Resilience Act’’. 
SEC. 2. RECAPTURING UNUSED IMMIGRANT VISAS FOR 
PROFESSIONAL NURSES AND PHYSICIANS. 
Section 106(d) of the American Competitiveness in 
the Twenty-first Century Act of 2000 (title I of Public 
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Law 106–313; 8 U.S.C. 1153 note) is amended to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(d) RECAPTURE OF UNUSED EMPLOYMENT-BASED 
IMMIGRANT VISAS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
and notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
number of employment-based visas made available 
under section 203(b) of the Immigration and Na-
tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1153(b)) shall be increased 
by the number calculated in paragraph (3). 
‘‘(2) LIMITATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Visas may only be 
made available under this subsection for up to 
40,000 employment-based immigrants (and 
their family members accompanying or fol-
lowing to join under section 203(d) of such Act 
(8 U.S.C. 1153(d))) whose immigrant worker 
petitions were filed no later than three years 
following the date of enactment of the 
Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act. 
‘‘(B) RESERVATIONS.—Of the visas au-
thorized under subparagraph (A)— 
‘‘(i) 25,000 shall be reserved for pro-
fessional nurses; and 
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‘‘(ii) 15,000 shall be reserved for phy-
sicians. 
‘‘(C) EXEMPTION FROM COUNTRY CAPS.— 
Visas made available under this subsection— 
‘‘(i) shall not be subject to the per 
country numerical limitation set forth in 
section 202(a)(2) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1152(a)(2)); and 
‘‘(ii) shall be issued in order of the 
priority date assigned at the time the visa 
petition was filed. 
‘‘(D) 
ADDITIONAL
LIMITATION.—Visas 
may only be made available under this sub-
section to a beneficiary and such beneficiary’s 
dependents if visas are not otherwise imme-
diately available to such individuals pursuant to 
the worldwide and per country allocations set 
forth in sections 202(a)(2) and 203(b) of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1152(a)(2) and 1153(b)). 
‘‘(3) NUMBER AVAILABLE.— 
‘‘(A) UNUSED VISAS.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), the number calculated in this para-
graph is the difference between— 
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‘‘(i) the total number of employment- 
based visas that were made available in fis-
cal years 1992 through 2024; and 
‘‘(ii) the total number of such visas 
that were used in such fiscal years. 
‘‘(B) REDUCTION AND LIMITATION.—The 
number described in subparagraph (A) shall be 
reduced, for each fiscal year following the fiscal 
year during which the Healthcare Workforce 
Resilience Act is enacted, by the cumulative 
number of immigrant visas used pursuant to 
paragraph (1). 
‘‘(C) FAMILY MEMBERS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Family members 
described in section 203(d) of the Immi-
gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1153(d)) who are accompanying or fol-
lowing to join a principal beneficiary seek-
ing admission under this subsection shall 
be entitled to an unreserved visa in the 
same status and in the same order of con-
sideration as such principal beneficiary. 
‘‘(ii) EXEMPT FROM SKILL-BASED NU-
MERICAL LIMITATION.—Visas described in 
clause (i)— 
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‘‘(I) shall be made available from 
the pool of recaptured unused immi-
grant visas calculated under subpara-
graph (A); and 
‘‘(II) shall not be counted against 
the total number of immigrant visas 
reserved for professional nurses and 
physicians under paragraph (2). 
‘‘(D) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing 
in this paragraph may be construed as affecting 
the application of section 201(c)(3)(C) of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1151(c)(3)(C)). 
‘‘(4) PREMIUM PROCESSING; EXPEDITED PROC-
ESSING.— 
‘‘(A) PREMIUM
PROCESSING.—The Sec-
retary of Homeland Security, in conjunction 
with the Secretary of State, shall provide pre-
mium processing procedures, as provided for 
under section 286(u) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1356(u)), for review-
ing and acting upon petitions and applications 
for immigrants described in paragraph (2). 
Notwithstanding such section, U.S. Citizenship 
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and Immigration Services may not charge a 
premium fee for such services. 
‘‘(B) SHIPPING PETITIONS.—The Director 
of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services 
shall expedite the shipping of each petition de-
scribed in subparagraph (A) requiring consular 
processing to the Department of State imme-
diately after— 
‘‘(i) the completed petition has been 
resolved; and 
‘‘(ii) the petitioner has replied to any 
request from U.S. Citizenship and Immi-
gration Services for additional evidence. 
‘‘(C) EXPEDITED PROCESSING.—The Sec-
retary of State shall expedite the processing of 
applications for immigrants described in para-
graph (2) after receiving a petition on behalf of 
such immigrants from U.S. Citizenship and Im-
migration Services. 
‘‘(5) LABOR ATTESTATION.—Before an immi-
grant visa reserved under paragraph (2)(B)(i) is 
issued to an alien, the petitioner shall attest, in the 
job offer letter presented by the alien to a consular 
officer during the consular interview or to the De-
partment of Homeland Security as an application 
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for an adjustment of status, that the hiring of the 
alien has not displaced and will not displace a 
United States worker.’’. 
Æ 
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