Thursday, May 12 2005 21:07 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: The United States Senate has approved a bill permitting 50,000 foreign nurses to enter the country in order to address a huge shortage.

The move is expected to benefit Indian nurses who are greatly sought after in the country. Under the bill, sponsored by Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski, an additional 50,000 foreign nurses will be permitted to enter the country.

The shortage of nurses in the US numbers up to 250,000, according to recent reports. Indian nurses are preferred by many hospitals in the US because of their proficiency and their ability to speak fluent English.

The bill also exempted H-2B seasonal guest workers, who have already worked in the US from the 65,000 annual cap. This will mainly help Mexican workers.

Another immigration provision passed by the Senate seeks to allow 10,500 Australian guest workers to enter the country annually under terms similar to the H-1B high-tech visa category.

With the approval from Senate, the bill is one step short of becoming law, pending the signature of President George W Bush.