Please use some discretion when posting as a foreign nurse

Hi Suzanne, I agree with what have you said! Better that they do not ask those things on the web because it is not safe.

Definitely...any prescription for common sense please?

Hello I am a nurse from the united Kingdom. I have a few years experience in general nursing. I have always wanted to make the move and apply to work as a nurse in California - I would like to know how to go about this process. Also due to the current economic crisis in the US is still a possibility. Also I forgot to mention that I am currently obtaining a second qualification in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. Ideally I would like to consider taking up Forensic mental health nursing in California. I would be grateful if any nurses from California can give any advice. Thank you.

Ellean55 and others in a similar situation, the best way I believe to get around this visa retrogression thing is to get a masters degree in nursing, or obtain a nurse practitioner designation. Then you can get hired on an H1b and after hire your employer can adjust your status to the EB-2.

Now the real challenge rears its ugly head . . . in many markets American trained nurses cannot get work and hiring freezes abound. Also for those of you here on a visitors visa trying to get an H1b, if you are the typical RN from abroad with a BSN and little experince, you likely do not stand a chance of being hired on an H1b.

We are seeing a number of nurses brought from the PI on H1b's getting laid off and have to go home because no American hospital will match the job description that got the nurse to America in the first place. Many are being laid off by a certain rehab staffing agency based in the SE United States.

I have over 70 nurses stuck in the Philippines. I do not now believe that we will be seeing any of them during Obama's first administration. Visa retrogression is going to stick around as long as this economy is weak. Why? Becuase foreign educated nurses coming to America is not a big priority of this Administation. When the economy is fixed they will look at it. But in the meantime, America nurses that need jobs will, and should get, first priority.

As for my foreign nurses, we fully expect to have to renew all VisaScreen that we paid for and have a 5-year life. I knew that I should have sold my Agency in early 2005 when I had a pretty good offer for it! LOL!

"A government that can give you everything can take everything away." Thomas Jefferson

Obama is focusing on employing citizens and legal residents of this country first and he's made that very clear. He's also stated that he wants the citizens and legal residents to be given jobs and will somehow offer insentives to those that hire Americans & legal residents first.

Habla, if your nurses are stuck in the Philippines, I hope they're gaining paid experience so that when the economy gets better (wont happen anytime soon) then at least they will have experience for the H1b visa, and that's if it's still going to be offered. With all the abuse that's going on with H1b and tourist visas, you never know they might just get rid of them.

H1B is for a very highly trained nurse with a speciality ( which is verified with passing a certification exam) or advanced practice Nurse good point since these nurses would need that for h1b, or to work as new grad their schooling has to be completed between 3-5 years ago.