Georgia GOP Governor Hopeful Owns Company Importing Foreign Nurses Over Americans

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

Jackson Healthcare — a firm owned by Jackson which markets itself as “the parent company to many of the healthcare industry’s leading brands” — acquired Florida-based Avant Healthcare Professionals in January 2018. Avant describes itself as a healthcare staffing firm specializing in the international recruitment and placement of clinical professionals in the United States. (RELATED: Leading GOP Candidate In Georgia Governor’s Race Sues Trump-Backed Opponent For Defamation)

The company, which has a record of filing H-1B visa requests — 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 overseas healthcare 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 penny off Planned Parenthood and I sure as hell never supported transgendering our kids.

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 get the truth out! Thank you! 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 in connection with EB-3 visas. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, read, “This case is about labor trafficking and its impact on an essential workforce, including failure to pay minimum wages, suppression of wages, and unfair competition.”

Both Lewis and Byron alleged they were paid less than their American counterparts and claim Avant repeatedly threatened to report nurses who breached their contracts to U.S. immigration officials — despite assurances that they would receive prevailing wages, the Florida Trend reported. Lewis further claimed that Avant did not uphold a promise to help bring her daughter to the U.S. (RELATED: Trump Faces His Next Midterm Powder Keg In Georgia)

AJC: Rick Jackson sues Republican rival Burt Jones for defamation amid heated governor’s race in Georgia

“Republican Rick Jackson filed a defamation suit against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones that appears aimed as much at grabbing attention and sending a warning shot to his GOP rival for…

— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) March 10, 2026

Lewis and Byron claimed they did not fully understand several provisions in their contracts and were required to sign them swiftly, according to the Florida Trend. They also alleged they didn’t know their contract terms would not begin until after completing a month-long Avant training program. During that period — before allegedly being placed in their respective roles, Lewis in Georgia and Byron in South Dakota — they claimed they were paid $10 per hour.

“Avant led Plaintiffs and its other foreign-recruited healthcare 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 alleged. “But working for Avant was nothing like that. Rather, Avant’s ‘employment’ is essentially indentured servitude.”

Never Trumpers couldn’t ask for a better friend than Rick Jackson — plenty of political checks, none with President Trump’s name on them. pic.twitter.com/CIzE2f7Umc

— Burt Jones (@burtjonesforga) February 17, 2026

The lawsuit highlighted how some nurse recruiting firms allegedly make money. Avant charges healthcare providers for nurses’ work, so longer placements increase profits, while contract breaches hurt revenue, according to the lawsuit.

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

Avant stated in legal filings that nurses who come to the U.S. on EB-3 visas are permitted to switch employers after arriving. The company maintained it did nothing wrong while signing off on a settlement that provided up to $1 million for attorneys’ fees and roughly $2 million in compensation to current and former employees, with payment amounts determined by specific eligibility factors, the outlet reported.

Months after, the parties held two days of in-person negotiations, ultimately reaching a proposed settlement in November that covered 5,219 nurses Avant recruited to work in U.S. healthcare facilities since 2013. (RELATED: Betrayed American Workers Expose Dark Underbelly Of H-1B Visa Scheme)

As part of the agreement, Avant said it would not pursue “liquidated damages or lost profits” from the nurses, though it reserved the right to recoup certain contract-related costs associated with bringing them into the U.S., according to the outlet.

Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, Pennsylvania recruited 31 nurses using 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 secured immigration records, including Green Cards allowing for them to reside legally in the U.S., via Avant Healthcare Professionals, according to the outlet.

A number of them first reached the U.S. in Florida, where they underwent cultural transition training and orientation before being assigned to Johnstown. Most showed up in mid-2022 and had worked roughly eight months of their three-year contracts under Conemaugh.

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

Jackson is running against Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr in the GOP gubernatorial primary. The primary election is set for May 19.

Jackson’s campaign issued a statement in response to the Daily Caller’s request for comment. “Hospitals are in desperate need of nurses, especially in rural Georgia. Avant 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 reached out to Jackson Healthcare for comment.

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