Immigration is an issue that generates a variety of strong opinions. But what shouldn’t be controversial or subject to a lot of disagreement is an immigration-related issue involving a shortage of skilled health care workers in the U.S.

There’s no question that the U.S. could benefit from more health care workers. The next generation of students who will graduate with health care-related degrees and enter the workforce will help the situation, but that’s more of a long-term solution.

A more short-term possibility is to tap into the global pool of skilled workers from other countries.

The crux of the issue lies in the caps and quotas imposed on employment-based visas for international skilled workers. These visa quotas have seen minimal adjustments to accommodate the modern economy, which has more than tripled in size since the quotas were created in 1990.

But even if one believes the annual visa cap remains adequate at 140,000 per year, bureaucratic hurdles exacerbate the labor deficit.

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