Retrogression Prospects in an Obama Presidency

Source: Filipinonurse.com.blogspot.com

Two days ago, Americans made history in voting Barack Obama as America’s First Black President. Obama’s 4 year term as President officially starts on Januarry 20, 2009. From a Filipino nurse’s perspective the question looms. What does an Obama presidency mean to the lingering visa retrogression?

To answer this question, Pinoy R.N. looks at Obama’s Immigration record as a Senator of the State of Illinois, said to be one of the immigration-friendly states in the U.S. Considred as a political neophyte, information on Obama’s immigration stand is rather scarce as opposed to his defeated rival, Sen. John McCain. McCain is widely known as pro-immigration being one of the primary movers in last year’s stalled Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill. McCain’s conviction, however, warned as the U.S. presidential campaigning went full swing even hinting in one of the debates leading up to the election that he was no longer supporting his pet bill if it were re-introduced. But the McCain angle in now moot.

As we study the retrogression prospects in an Obama presidency, we begin our scrutiny by looking at this political affiliation. Being a democrat, we can surmise that how will be more open to supporting Immigration measures similar to the stalled CIR bill last year. This will be beneficial to Filipino nurses stuck in the midst of Retrogression. With regard to Obama’s legislative record, things are looking up too. Obama once introduced a bill aimed at improving the speed and accuracy of FBI background checks for intending immigrants. He also supported legislation aimed at keeping immigration application fees affordable.

These limited but strong indicators of Obama’s inclinations on the issue of immigration are steps in the right direction as far as Filipino registered nurses affected by retrogression are concerned. Obama built his campaign on the promise of change and change is what Filipino registered nurses need.

Reaction to the commentary

The article clearly explains that in the coming Obama’s administration there is a bright future for Filipino Nurses who until now are suffering from visa retrogression.  Visa retrogression is the placement of limits on the number of certain types of immigrants that may enter the United States. The commentary is also good news for us students who thought that getting a job in the U.S. is complex, because of economic crisis the world has experienced, and the negative feedbacks from International Nursing Associations regarding the cheating issues in our local licensure exam.  It may indeed an article that relieved us graduating students from our fear on what lies ahead after graduation.  But in spite the positive impact of the commentary towards our career, I rather not expect for something from the new U.S. President.  We really don’t know what’s prepared for us in Obama’s Presidency, he may be a staunch democrat but still we are not Americans. We are just like the Mexicans and other Asians who wanted to be in a country of milk and honey, believing that working in the U.S. is the only solution of poverty. 

Many Filipino Nurses thought that the retrogression is temporary and expect that it will be ceased permanently when the new president of the U.S. steps in.  How sure are they? I am not even sure if Mr. Barrack Obama likes Filipinos or any foreigners who would steps in and take the job of his countrymen? U.S. moral suffers when they sent troops in Iraq and it worsens when most of their banks collapsed because of bankruptcy.  The economic crisis that the U.S. is experiencing resulted to a chain reaction that affects most of their major industries and that includes opportunities for us.   Unemployment and other social related problems is at their toes, I don’t think Obama will consider the immigration issues as his priority. But I do believe that he will maintain the good relationship of our country and his, and I would consider that as the only realistic overview in Obama’s Presidency.

Filipino nurses and the Filipino nursing students would rather focus their attention in rebuilding our career’s image in the eyes of the world; it seems that we are enslaved by the mentality of “I enrolled Nursing because I want to go abroad!”, that mentality weakens our competiveness.  That mentality is destroying the essence of our career and that is why the International Nursing community is criticizing us.  Whether the presidency of Obama would give a good future for our career or not, let’s not be shaken, let’s not gone dry to what ever the future of America would bring to us. We are nursing! Our profession is not intend for a specific country, where ever we are and who ever our patients would be, they are in good hands and for as long we are in the hospital, then we are home.