i heard that if you are a foreign trained nurse in the US and you take the Nclex, your name does not appear on the BON website (CA) until you have received the letter stating passed and you send back the $100 license fee. Has anyone heard of this or had this experience?

Wrong information. That is true for all that take the NCLEX-PN exam in CA. The LVN is handled under a completely separate office and the nurse pays for the exam, but doesn't pay for the actual license until they pass the exam.

For the RN license, you pay the fees in total before you take the exam. You do not see your name on the BRN website until you have a SSN# submitted to them. This is for foreign nurses only that do no thave the SSN#. If you have one and the BRN has it on file, then you wil see your name posted. It is based 100% on whether or not you can legaaly work in the US.