[trix_ctrn]

You have to come from Canada. If you're already in USA, go back to Canada (anywhere in Canda). Then as long as you have all the requirements (license, proof of nursing education, CGFNS certificate, job offer), either fly by plane or drive or take the bus across the border, and you aply for TN visa. There is a fee, I think $50. They'll staple a small ticket to your passport, which is renewed every year.

Originally Posted by Artis

HI, Suzane, thanks so much all the previous advice. I am ready to go to the US border with visascreen and all. Now I am a little confused about where to obtain my TN status. I am on the east coast. I want to fly to Montreal, I guess. Is this the right thing to do? Or can I go to Washington Dulles Airport. I m already in Washington DC staying with freinds. Your help is so appreciated. Have you thought about nursing law? :Melody:

[suzanne4]

Originally Posted by trix_ctrn

You have to come from Canada. If you're already in USA, go back to Canada (anywhere in Canda). Then as long as you have all the requirements (license, proof of nursing education, CGFNS certificate, job offer), either fly by plane or drive or take the bus across the border, and you aply for TN visa. There is a fee, I think $50. They'll staple a small ticket to your passport, which is renewed every year.

Sorry, but incorrect information. The only two documents that are required for the TN Visa at the border are the Visa Screen Certificate as well as a job offer from the facility or agency. CGFNS Certificate will not get you a TN Visa, that is only proof of passing the CGFNS exam. And they are two different things completely.

The VSC is proof of passing either the NCLEX exam or the CGFNS exam, and is therefore proof of training. License is not needed as well. Most do not get the license until they are actually in the US and are ready to begin work. You cannot apply for the SN# until you are in the US, and most states will not issue a license until they have the SSN#.

Nowhere does it state that a license is required. Even for US immigration with a green card, only that one of the two nursing licenses has been passed.

[HUCtoRNBScN]

Hello,
I am a Canadian citizen but I will be marrying my fiance, who was born in California. He has dual (Canadian and American) citizenship, but currently lives in Canada. Once we are married, am I able to work in the US without getting visas or other documents??? We are thinking about moving to California, or Oregon, but are unsure of what we will need.
Thanks in advance.

[trix_ctrn]

You can apply for a TN visa (working permit for Canadian citizens under NAFTA, there are requirements { job offer,CGFNS certificate, sometimes they'll ask for proof of education or license}) or you can work after he petitions you. TN will be faster for now, you can get it right away after crossing the border. The CGFNS certificate takes time though. But if you wait until he petitions you, the waiting time is longer.

[trix_ctrn]

A Canadian citizen can apply for a TN visa at a U.S. port of entry with all of the following:

• Request for admission under TN status to Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. immigration officer;
• Employment Letter - Evidence of professional employment. See Employment Letter below;
• Proof of professional qualifications, such as transcripts of grades, licenses, certificates, degrees, and/or records of previous employment;
• Proof of ability to meet applicable license requirements;
• Proof of Canadian citizenship- Canadian citizens may present a passport, as visas are not required, or they may provide secondary evidence, such as a b
• CGFNS certificate
  
• birth certificate. However, Canadian citizens traveling to the United States from outside the Western Hemisphere are required to present a valid passport at the port-of-entry;
• Fee of U.S. $50

NO doubt about it, I did it almost ten times.

If you have problem, ask the Immigration Officers.

[suzanne4]

And that is old information above that is posted. Since the requirements of the Visa Screen Certificate several years ago, for all that are applying for a visa to work in the US, that is required. And takes the place of most of the rest of those documents. The information above is no longer currrent.

And Visa Screen Certificate is what is required now. CGFNS Certificate is hardly required for a graduate of Canadian nursing program now. Majority of the states that have requirements for the CGFNS Certificate actually waive the requirement if the nurse graduated from Canada.

[suzanne4]

Nafta TN Visa requires the Visa Screen Certificate. Not the CGFNS Certificate.

They are two different things. One used to be required in many states for licensure, but not anymore. The VSC is required by US immigration for all that are seeking any type of visa to work in the US as an RN.

[MARI 1]

Hi...
I am Canadian, and Suzanne is correct that is old information...
Things change after you have had your papers processed and you must get update information, please always check it out before posting.. this can confuse people. Many of the things you posted in that list are no longer required... or the requirements have changed.
Visa screen, is a certificate that is granted when all the information about your credentials are documented and verified you are then given a certifcate. CGFNS was an exam... they previously did not deal with immigration. They now adminster the visa screen certifcate.. for immigration
An example of how things change would be I went to re-file my petition here (they lost my first file) and they no longer accept the small birth certificates... I had to wait nearly 4 months to get the long form from Ontario to re-file. They want the long forms for immigration here in the USA and for your passport in Canada. They want to know parentage now. So please just check before you post, this will prevent others from being confused... things have changed and will continue to change as time goes by.
Suzanne deals with this daily and does have updated information... she gets immigration information from attorney's and other sources that provide her with accurate information.
I am so grateful for all the help she has provided me and others here....

[AnonymousCanadian]

Hoping someone can offer a little advice...

I'm a Canadian citizen, graduate of a 4yr program, and a licensed RN. I intend to move to the US to pursue nursing. I am a little befuddled with the process and trying to iron out an "order of events."

I intend to license in Minnesota, but do I license by exam or by endorsement? I understand I need to secure a Visa Screen, but part of that process is a succesful NCLEX exam score. So, do I start that process by obtaining and submitting all the necessary docs, then do the NCLEX, then submit that mark and wait for VisaScreen result?

I am familiar with the TN process, been there done that. It's just the State licensing and Visa Screen processes that have my head spinning . Thanks for any advice and replies!

Edit: I've completed my state and Visa Screen applications, they'll go out as soon as I get an answer from someone to this question. How picky are CGFNS on the passport photos? I signed mine on the bottom as they directed, but that put my signature right across my chest and shoulders, is that ok?

[illecob]

are there any Canadian R.N.s (that have been through all the formalities to work in US ie. NCLEX, Visascreen etc) that were originally trained in U.K. and if so did this make getting the requirements more complicated? How long did Visascreen take?