[NurseguyFL]

Originally Posted by suzanne4

Right now, INS is in a surge mode...In California, they actually have immigration stops set up, and they are picking up people in large numbers. If you do not have a legal document permitting you to be in the US, you will be gone.

I find this quite odd. I am an American citizen, and I don't habitually travel with my birth certificate or social security card in my wallet when I'm driving anywhere---unless I intend to use them to apply for a job or for some other specific reason. In fact, The SSA advises people not to carry these documents around because if they get lost or stolen you are very likely to become a victim of identity theft.

So, now immigration agents are arbitrarily rounding up people who they stop in traffic---just because they MIGHT be illegal. This is crazy! Its one thing if they are investigating a tip about illegals who are living or working someplace and they go there specifically to pick them up, but to just randomly be stopping people on the street and demanding proof of citizenship sounds a bit too Gestapo to me. Somehow I doubt its even legal. After they do this to enough American citizens, the federal government is going to get hit with so many harassment and discrimination lawsuits that I'm sure we're going to see a revision of this policy somewhere down the road.

Sometimes it really scares me to think about what our country has come to.

[jenchb01]

Originally Posted by NurseguyFL

I find this quite odd. I am an American citizen, and I don't habitually travel with my birth certificate or social security card in my wallet when I'm driving anywhere---unless I intend to use them to apply for a job or for some other specific reason. In fact, The SSA advises people not to carry these documents around because if they get lost or stolen you are very likely to become a victim of identity theft.

So, now immigration agents are arbitrarily rounding up people who they stop in traffic---just because they MIGHT be illegal. This is crazy! Its one thing if they are investigating a tip about illegals who are living or working someplace and they go there specifically to pick them up, but to just randomly be stopping people on the street and demanding proof of citizenship sounds a bit too Gestapo to me. Somehow I doubt its even legal. After they do this to enough American citizens, the federal government is going to get hit with so many harassment and discrimination lawsuits that I'm sure we're going to see a revision of this policy somewhere down the road.

Sometimes it really scares me to think about what our country has come to.

it was really scarry....sometimes it tuns me off..but sometimes i'll try to understand them because of the security measures....i hope they could still think better option than these....

[suzanne4]

In CA, especially in the San Diego area, this is well known fact. It is just how things have become because of the illegal alien issue and it being close to the Mexican border. Not sure what they are doing in other areas, but in southern CA, this is very well known.

They actually have several stops specifically for immigration reasons, just like the police have times and areas that they are known for pulling people over the check for drinking and driving.

And if you are an American citizen, then it is usually not an issue for you. There are usually specific things that they are looking for, and if stopped, you know where your documents are at home. It is the ones that cannot produce anything that will have issues. And that is just fine for you. You have nothing to worry about.

[suzanne4]

I do not make any immigration laws, I can just report what is happening and about the raids that are happening in nursing homes all over CA. They are easy targets to find people working there illegally, they are right there and at work. And it is a well known fact here that in several different towns there are quite a number of illegal nurses working.

[NurseguyFL]

This whole immigration thing appears to be extremely complicated. I hope that whatever new laws they come up with in Congress this time streamlines the process and makes it easier for nurses to get and keep their paperwork up to date. Just from reading these forums it seems like there are so many different types of forms and visas and processes that take way too long. Only my opinion, but as long as there are so many unfilled nursing positions it would make sense for them to open up a special visa category just for nurses.

Thanks for the information.

[suzanne4]

There are not many types of visas, actually only the green card, unless the nurse is from either Australia, Canada or Mexico and can get a treaty visa. Other than that, there is just the green card. The H1-B is not available for nurses and has not been so for more than three years.

And there are just two ways to get the green card, either thru Consular Processing when they are overseas, or via Adjustment of Status if they are in the US.

[suzanne4]

Originally Posted by NurseguyFL

This whole immigration thing appears to be extremely complicated. I hope that whatever new laws they come up with in Congress this time streamlines the process and makes it easier for nurses to get and keep their paperwork up to date. Just from reading these forums it seems like there are so many different types of forms and visas and processes that take way too long. Only my opinion, but as long as there are so many unfilled nursing positions it would make sense for them to open up a special visa category just for nurses.

Thanks for the information.

And actually there was the Schedule A until a few months ago, but it is no longer available because there were more applying than there were visas available. Bringing in foreign nurses does not solve the problem. First, they have to complete the required exams such as the NCLEX exam, and pass the English exams if they are not wiaved for them, then they need to go thru the immigration process, it should not just be automatic for anyone that has a license. They need to be checked out, the same way that an American nurse is. And the visas for the nurses are green cards, not temporary work visas.

[janice15]

Suzanne,

How long does the green card process usually take for foreign nurses who went to school in the U.S.? Can you do anything that requires an RN liscense or must you do clinical hospital like nursing? What kind of jobs can you do under Schedule A green card processing? Thank you so much for your help!

[Silverdragon102]

Originally Posted by SarahSmith99

Suzanne,

How long does the green card process usually take for foreign nurses who went to school in the U.S.? Can you do anything that requires an RN liscense or must you do clinical hospital like nursing? What kind of jobs can you do under Schedule A green card processing? Thank you so much for your help!

Schedule A for nurses at the moment does not exist. Processing at the moment unless you meet the requirements for tomorrow is not available as at the moment due to everyone being affected by retrogression. Therefore you are not able to adjust your status and work unless you have OPT

I would suggest you have a good read on here as this has been answered very recently for a few others on here who are doing their training in the US at the moment. If you can use OPT then that is an option so you can find an employer who is willing to petition you , they can start the process by filing I140 and then once visas are available they can then file what else is required (I485 and EAD) Otherwise you will need to maintain your student status until visas are available

[suzanne4]

Attending school in the US does not give you any priority over others in getting the green card. There must be visas available for the I-485 to even be submitted to immigration.

From your other posts, if I remember correctly, you are Canadian, and therefore qualify for the Nafta TN Visa when you have passed the NCLEX exam, and have a Visa Screen Certificate in hand, as well as a job offer.

Right now, there is a retrogression in place, and no petitions being accepted. So to try and give you a wait time is impossible. USCIS was just forced to accept petitions when there were no visas available, so that is going to greatly impact things as well.

And as Anna mentioned above, there is much already written on this topic. Only thing that gets waived for you is the English exams, all other requirements and procedures must be completed.