Georgia GOP Governor Hopeful Owns Company Importing Foreign Nurses Over Americans

Georgia Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson’s company has been linked to a subsidiary that specializes in recruiting foreign nurses for U.S. health care facilities.

Jackson Healthcare — a Jackson-owned company that bills itself as “the parent company of many leading healthcare brands” — acquired Florida-based Avant Healthcare Professionals in January 2018. Avant describes itself as a healthcare staffing company specializing in the international recruitment and placement of clinical professionals in the United States. (RELATED: Leading GOP candidate in Georgia gubernatorial race sues Trump-backed opponent for defamation)

The company, which has a history of filing for H-1B visas — a nonimmigrant program that allows employers to temporarily hire foreign workers in specialty occupations requiring at least a bachelor’s degree — says it facilitates long-term matches between foreign health care workers and U.S. facilities. According to its website, Avant guides recruits “through every step, from licensure and immigration to cultural training and job placement, so you can focus on what matters most: providing the best patient care.”

I never made a dime from Planned Parenthood and I certainly never supported our children being transgender.

I’m tired of politicians who lie or say anything to get elected, and that’s why I’m running for governor.

SHARE our new ad with your friends to find out the truth! THANKS! pic.twitter.com/D52y1R07vg

– Rick Jackson (@RickJacksonGA) March 12, 2026

In 2023, two nurses – Latoya Lewis of Jamaica and Lucinda Byron of St. Thomas and the Grenadines – filed a lawsuit against Avant Healthcare Professionals related to EB-3 visas. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, said: “This case concerns labor trafficking and its impact on an essential workforce, including non-payment of minimum wage, wage suppression, and unfair competition. »

Lewis and Byron claimed they were paid less than their U.S. counterparts and claim Avant repeatedly threatened to report nurses who violated their contract to U.S. immigration authorities — despite assurances they would be paid prevailing wages, the Florida Trend reported. Lewis further claimed that Avant failed to keep his promise to help bring his daughter to the United States. (RELATED: Trump faces his next midterm tinderbox in Georgia)

AJC: Rick Jackson sues Republican rival Burt Jones for defamation amid heated Georgia gubernatorial race

“Republican Rick Jackson has filed a defamation suit against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, which appears aimed as much at attracting attention as at sending a warning shot to his Republican rival for…

– Politics and poll tracking 📡 (@PollTracker2024) March 10, 2026

Lewis and Byron claimed they did not fully understand several provisions of their contracts and needed to sign them quickly, according to the Florida Trend. They also claimed that they did not know that the terms of their contract would only begin after they completed a month-long training program. During this period – before they were allegedly placed in their respective roles, Lewis in Georgia and Byron in South Dakota – they claimed they were paid $10 an hour.

“Avant led plaintiffs and its other foreign-hired health care workers to believe that they would come to the United States to practice nursing in a safe environment with a good employer who would treat them fairly,” the lawsuit alleges. “But working for Avant was nothing of the sort. Rather, Avant’s ’employment’ is essentially indentured servitude.”

Trumpers could never have asked for a better friend than Rick Jackson – many political checks, none of which had President Trump’s name on them. pic.twitter.com/CIzE2f7Umc

-Burt Jones (@burtjonesforga) February 17, 2026

The lawsuit highlighted how some nurse recruiting companies allegedly make money. Avant charges health care providers for nurses’ work, so longer internships increase profits, while contract breaches hurt revenue, the lawsuit says.

The case was initially filed in federal court, where two vital claims survived a motion to dismiss, before moving to state court in August in an effort to reach a possible settlement, according to the Florida Trend.

Avant said in legal documents that nurses who come to the United States on an EB-3 visa are allowed to change employers after arriving. The company claimed it did nothing wrong in signing a settlement providing up to $1 million in attorney fees and about $2 million in compensation for current and former employees, with payment amounts determined by specific eligibility factors, the outlet reported.

A few months later, the parties held two days of in-person negotiations, ultimately reaching a proposed agreement in November covering 5,219 nurses that Avant has recruited to work in U.S. healthcare facilities since 2013. (RELATED: Betrayed American Workers Reveal Dark Underbelly of H-1B Visa Program)

As part of the agreement, Avant said it would not seek “damages or lost profits” from the nurses, although it reserved the right to recover certain contract costs associated with their immigration to the United States, according to the outlet.

Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, recruited 31 nurses through an employment-based immigration program due to labor market issues, the Tribune-Democrat reported in April 2023. Nurses from Southeast Asia, Africa, Jamaica, Antigua and the Bahamas obtained immigration records, including green cards allowing them to legally reside in the United States, through Avant Healthcare Professionals, according to the media.

A number of them first reached the United States in Florida, where they underwent cultural transition training and orientation before being assigned to Johnstown. Most arrived in mid-2022 and had worked about eight months of their three-year contract under Conemaugh.

The H-1B is a temporary work visa for skilled jobs that typically require a college degree, while the EB-3 is a path to a permanent green card for skilled workers, professionals, and certain unskilled jobs.

Jackson is running against Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr in the GOP gubernatorial primary. Primary elections are set for May 19.

Jackson’s campaign released a statement in response to the Daily Caller’s request for comment. “Hospitals desperately need nurses, especially in rural Georgia. Avant’s nurses come to America legally – often waiting several years – learn English, pay taxes and save lives. The country’s problem is illegal immigration, and Rick Jackson will partner with the Trump administration to make Georgia the leading state for criminal deportations in America,” the statement read.

The caller also contacted Jackson Healthcare for comment.

Editor’s note: Article updated to include statement from the Jackson campaign.