of english-language proficiency. foreign nurses compete amongst themselves, with professionals, and other skilled workers for 140,000 employment-based (eb) visas every year. filipino nurses are only allocated 2,800 visas per year, thereby creating a backlog among applicants. for example, in september 2009, 56,896 filipinos were waiting for eb-3 visa numbers. this number contrasts with the 95,000 nurses licensed in 2009, many of whom want to migrate to the u.s. once a nurse obtains a visa number and is approved for a visa and authorized to work in the u.s., they must pass the national council licensure examination to qualify for u.s. nursing standards. (