Winnebago County updates international caregiver recruitment plan; county to pay $500 per arriving caregiver and house them for 30 days

Winnebago County received an update April 16 on a multi‑year effort to recruit overseas caregivers to staff Parkview Health Center, with staff saying early visa steps are complete but that it may be a year or more before recruits arrive.

The presenter (S5) told supervisors the county began talks with a recruiting firm in February 2023 and formally started the sponsorship process in May 2023. Step 1 was approved in May 2024; step 2 (mandatory recruitment for the Department of Labor) was filed in October 2024 and approvals began arriving in March 2026. S5 said step 2 took about 16–17 months to complete, longer than the lawyer initially estimated.

S5 described the county’s financial commitments: "the county is paying $500 per caregiver in your county," and the county will provide housing and food for the first 30 days because recruits cannot work until they have Social Security and work authorization. The county’s presenter said recruits will be required by the recruiter’s terms to work for the county employer for two years after onboarding.

Committee members pressed staff on the skill level and licensure of recruits. S5 said most applicants already have caregiver experience and some certifications in their home countries, but those credentials generally do not transfer to Wisconsin; recruits will need U.S. certifications (for example, CNAs will be enrolled in county CNA classes once on site). "They might not be unskilled in their country of origin, but to the United States, that does not transfer over," S5 said.

Supervisors asked about timelines and costs beyond the $500 fee. S5 reiterated that applicants pay most travel and immigration expenses themselves, and the county’s $500 is a contribution to legal and processing fees plus the temporary housing commitment. Members noted the program is controversial and that retention after a two‑year period is uncertain because recruits are not legally required to remain after that time.

S5 estimated arrivals will "trickle in" rather than come all at once and cautioned it could be another year to 18 months before many are on site, with some committee members suggesting even longer. The committee did not take a formal vote; the presentation served as an informational update and staff said the next step is to file a sponsorship petition by roughly September to continue the process.

The committee also discussed complementary local efforts to grow domestic staffing — including youth apprenticeships, CNA training for county employees, and incentive payments for CNAs — and asked staff to keep tracking outcomes, costs and retention metrics for the immigrant‑recruitment effort.

The committee set no new binding direction at the April meeting; staff will proceed with immigration filings and report back with progress and any material changes.