Best Placement Agency for U.S

World Immigration

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hi guys! im a fresh graduate and currently looking for the best placement agency for U.S bound nurses.

any help would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry, but I still do not agree with you. You can get in direct contact with a facility and have them petition for you. Or an agency that isn't taking $20,000 of your money. Which is unfortunatley what is happening to many of you. They are also making promises that are very untrue. There are some agencies that are promising green cards in four months, which just doens't happen, and those that came over under that assumption are now back in Manila, inlcuding physicians, etc.

If it sounds too good to be true, then it is. There is nothing done for free by an agency over there, it will be coming out of your pocket. Just make sure that you do your homework.

I have been working with foreign trained nurses from SE Asia for years and have been assisting them with finding placement to show that their is compassion over here. I do not like to see anyone taken advantage of, especially nurses.............:)

Specializes in Medical-Surgical.

I believe with the economic situations facing most Filipino nurses who are earning around $100/ month and those who are unemployed or on volunteer work for the experience, the most logical thing to do is to course thru an agency. I think it is important for Filipino nurses to research and investigate as much as possible an agency that is offering them sponsorship so that they would not be taken advantage of.

We Filipinos have a saying, " Kahit sa patalim kumakapit." I hope I said it right because I speak a different dialect. The saying is in Filipino language. It means in desperate situation we will hold even the knife's edge just to survive. That explains why there are some nurses who are willing to go thru an agency even they though they know they are being taken advantage of because they themselves have little opportunites.

But there are lots of good agencies out there. It is for us to look, investigate and research before we sign for one.

Sure, there are some very good agencies out there, but unfortunately, there are also some very unscrupulous ones operating. If they make a promise that is quite different form any others, than it is. There is also no reason why the nurse should have to pay about $16,000 out of their money for the services of these agencies. There are also agencies that have promised a green card in just four months, there is no such thing, ask the doctors that thought they could take advantage of that and are back in Manila after one year of slave wages of $7 per hour in the US.

All I am saying is pay very close attention to what you are signing. If it has a $20,000 cancellation clause, and you have to return to Manila, how are you ever going to pay that back?

Do not chose an agency because someone you know used them, do your homework first.

I do not like to see anyone taken advantage of, and especially nurses who have worked so hard for everything else already.

Sure, there are some very good agencies out there, but unfortunately, there are also some very unscrupulous ones operating. If they make a promise that is quite different form any others, than it is. There is also no reason why the nurse should have to pay about $16,000 out of their money for the services of these agencies. There are also agencies that have promised a green card in just four months, there is no such thing, ask the doctors that thought they could take advantage of that and are back in Manila after one year of slave wages of $7 per hour in the US.

All I am saying is pay very close attention to what you are signing. If it has a $20,000 cancellation clause, and you have to return to Manila, how are you ever going to pay that back?

Do not chose an agency because someone you know used them, do your homework first.

I do not like to see anyone taken advantage of, and especially nurses who have worked so hard for everything else already.

I agree w/ Suzanne. This happens because we don't do our homework and do not research for ourselves. Going direct is always better in any field. No middleman, no agency, no intermediary, etc..

I also don't agree with the financial excuse. If its really financial problems, then why not apply for a personal loan in a bank or better yet a loan from your parents or other relatives (esp. for those who have relatives in the US).

No interest (he, he, he) :chuckle

WE will be sending money to our parents/relatives anyway, right? WE can easily make up for the loan and then SOME.

Point is... there are a lot of better OPTIONS to get the money for the exams, immigration and other expenses and the relocation bonuses, sign-on bonus, etc.. can easily wipe out all those loans/debts. SO.... I think it really boils down to US not first doing RESEARCH before anything else. (AT LEAST try 1st). If one still can't get a good deal on your own then you may resort to agencies.

One more thing... if one is going for an agency at least do it from the very start where you can take advantage of them too. If one already paid for their own application fees, CG/NCLEX exams, visascreen, airfare/accomodations for the NCLEX then it just shows that you can financially support yourself.

Why pick an agency when one already paid for most of the expenses of the whole process?? Just a thought.

Hospitals sponsor visas, the same way that agencies do..

No difference. So there would not be a difference in the visa. Only much more money in your pocket.

Specializes in Medical-Surgical.
I agree w/ Suzanne. This happens because we don't do our homework and do not research for ourselves. Going direct is always better in any field. No middleman, no agency, no intermediary, etc..

I also don't agree with the financial excuse. If its really financial problems, then why not apply for a personal loan in a bank or better yet a loan from your parents or other relatives (esp. for those who have relatives in the US).

No interest (he, he, he) :chuckle

WE will be sending money to our parents/relatives anyway, right? WE can easily make up for the loan and then SOME.

Point is... there are a lot of better OPTIONS to get the money for the exams, immigration and other expenses and the relocation bonuses, sign-on bonus, etc.. can easily wipe out all those loans/debts. SO.... I think it really boils down to US not first doing RESEARCH before anything else. (AT LEAST try 1st). If one still can't get a good deal on your own then you may resort to agencies.

One more thing... if one is going for an agency at least do it from the very start where you can take advantage of them too. If one already paid for their own application fees, CG/NCLEX exams, visascreen, airfare/accomodations for the NCLEX then it just shows that you can financially support yourself.

Why pick an agency when one already paid for most of the expenses of the whole process?? Just a thought.

You presented a very good point. But what if the nurse has no immediate relatives who are rich and willing to loan some money? Or relatives in the US? What about personal bank loan when banks here in the Philippines require an applicant to have a well paying job or a collateral? These are the questions that needs to be answer.

The reason why so many nurses with CGFNS taken in the 1990's are still here because of the prohibitive fees then amounting to 200,000 Philippine pesos that they decided to look for other jobs instead of going to the US.

That is why after taking and passing the CFGNS in 1992, I lost interest in going to the US because of the 200,000 pesos which I, my family and immediate relatives could not afford.

Majority of the Filipinos nurses are not so lucky enough that they resort to agencies. It is up for them to look for a good one.

There are some who have the money but eventually they will tie up with the agency because they themselves do not have any contacts in the US. Or do not know the process. They will take and pass the CGFNS, english exams, visa screen certificate and then sign up with an agency and have their expenses reimbursed.

I believe that ideas presented by the different posters here are very much helpful but in a way only a few can do. The majority will still go to the process of looking, some will end with good ones, some will end with bad ones.

In my belief, a nurse with a good financial standing can do the process on her own but for those who have none then they go through agencies. And it is up for them for them to look, research, investigate before they sign up for one.

Personally I have known some nurses who end up with bad ones that they are living on survival wages.

It is up for us to give good advices to nurses here so that they will not be taken advantage of by bad agencies. And most of us here are doing that already.

My point is that the nurse must do her or his homework. Check out every single thing that the agency promises. And there are agencies that go to Manila to recruit that will set the nurse up as a direct hire for the facility, where they are an employee of the hospital and not the agency, etc. If it is not in writing and included in the contract, then it doesn't exist. If the cancellation clause if more money than you will make in Manila in ten years, then don't sign that contract.

A nurse should be able to select where they want to work, not where the agency wants to place them.

But when the costs are about $4000 for the nurse to be working in the US, and the agency is taking $20,000 out of their pay over two years, that is highway robbery. Loan sharks do not even charge that much. That is what the nurse needs to watch. Many do not know that the agency can take about $5 per hour out of their pay to cover "their" expenses. And that is way too large of a profit margin in my opinion. No other business makes that much profit, and this is being taken from nurses.

Specializes in Medical-Surgical.
My point is that the nurse must do her or his homework. Check out every single thing that the agency promises. And there are agencies that go to Manila to recruit that will set the nurse up as a direct hire for the facility, where they are an employee of the hospital and not the agency, etc. If it is not in writing and included in the contract, then it doesn't exist. If the cancellation clause if more money than you will make in Manila in ten years, then don't sign that contract.

A nurse should be able to select where they want to work, not where the agency wants to place them.

But when the costs are about $4000 for the nurse to be working in the US, and the agency is taking $20,000 out of their pay over two years, that is highway robbery. Loan sharks do not even charge that much. That is what the nurse needs to watch. Many do not know that the agency can take about $5 per hour out of their pay to cover "their" expenses. And that is way too large of a profit margin in my opinion. No other business makes that much profit, and this is being taken from nurses.

I agree with you.

The point is if a nurse does not have the financial ability to do it on her own but to go through an agency then she has to research and investigate before she sign. I think we all agree on this.

First of all.. I agree that readers are benefitting a lot with these kind of posts because they are able to see all point of views giving them more choices/options.

Don't get me wrong.. I'm not against agencies. They are a help too.

Heck.. I may go for an agency too if I have no choice.

Point is.. it should be a last resort. We must exhaust all other options first and nowadays (as Suzanne said) employers go the the Phil. (I wish there were more) for direct hiring and setup seminars and interviews who are NCLEX passers and with Visascreen certificates. Reimbursements, sign-on bonuses and relocation fees, etc.. are usual. I don't know if they also sponsor RNs for NCLEX on HK for those who already passed the CGFNS exam. (I think I heard something like this). Ofcourse, most prob.,you have to sign with them first too. At least.. its direct hiring.

If one still cannot find a good deal for himself/herself and no one can sponsor you.. then by all means go for an agency. That's their niche.

Thanks. Goodluck to us. Keep posting. ;)

Hospitals sponsor visas, the same way that agencies do..

No difference. So there would not be a difference in the visa. Only much more money in your pocket.

Amen to this. :chuckle

Here are my personal tips in finding a good agency. Some are my experiences. If it's really the last resort as what lawrence has said. Though most Filipinos are more than willing to bite the bullet. Myself included.

(Not necessarily in order of importance):

1. A good agency should have at least a 1/8 page of advertisement in the classified ads section of a Sunday issue of major newspaper . If the ad is placed at the "per line" section, forget about it. You should not trust an agency scrimping on advertising budget.

2. Do read carefully the initial come-ons like "free this and that". If there is nothing in the ad about the expenses that will be shouldered by the agency (e.g free I-140 petition, NCLEX and IELTS fees etc.) chances are you will be paying for them. And this will be a case of a nurse jumping out of the pan and straight into the fire.

3. Call the agency and ask them to elaborate on what was stated in their ad. They should have competent employees who have enough knowledge about immigration process concerning nurses. If they don't know what is EB3 Schedule A and they give you the runarounds that is a clear sign of what is going to come if you do sign with them.

4. Make a personal visit to the agency. If the office they are occupying is close to being dilapidated, furnitures that house immigrant insects, office equipments from pre-war era, you should immediately run coz you are their chance to move in to a better location. Don't be a willing prey to them. A good agency should have a decent office.

5. Observe the people in the agency. They should be warm towards you and you should not be treated like an ordinary worker to be deployed somewhere in the middle east or middle earth. Remember that a nurse is an unpolished gem that is waiting for her karats to shine (i.e. successfully relocated to the USA). You can make them smile if you tell them the substantial amount they will earn from your two or three-year contract with them.

These are my tips in finding a good agency for US in the contract pre-signing stage. Take your time in reading the fine prints of the contract. Ask for what you think is lacking as what other agencies are offering. Ask your friends who are currently under contract from an agency if they are not experiencing any problem from them. Think thrice before signing a contract. Bear in mind that it is legally binding and if you breach it it will always haunt you.

There are agencies claiming that they are direct hiring and that there's no hidden fees. Does this mean that they're not really telling the truth? Just a way to lure innocent nurses?

I agree that if you can pay for the expenses then just do it. But how about those who can't afford it? Loan from family and friends? This applies only to those who have rich friends, etc. In the Philippines you cannot apply for a loan without a collateral. What if the poor nurse only has his BRAIN? And so placement cannot be a last resort. I am not advocating this, am just simply sharing my views.

The thread says best placement agencies for US. I know that there's a hidden $20,000 off our pocket if we signed-up for the "wrong agency". But is it universal? Are all agencies like this? How about our fellow posters who have gone through good ones share their views? I have read all the post for this thread and so far the query was not answered. But instead, a debate on whether to go for it or not to go for agency. Why don't we start naming a few good agencies who won't eat-up our hard earned money.

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