[suzanne4]

A TN Visa is available to you, if you hold a Canadian passport. It is not available to permanent residents of Canada, due to the NAFTA Treaty.

You will need to apply to Board of Nursing for licensure, once credentials are approved, you will need to sit for the NCLEX exam. This can be done in any state, not required to be done where you will get your initial license. The shortest time for most Canadian residents is to go thru Minnesota. You are then able to endorse to almost any other state.

One other needed document is the Visa Screen Certificate. The application for this can be found on the website of CGFNS, www.cgfns.org. If you are from the Quebec region, and your training was in French, you will be required to pass the series of English exams. You have a choice of either TOEFL, TWE, and TSE, or the IELTS series with the Academic branch and the speaking section. Currently, the wait is about six weeks for the Certificate once you have passed the required exams.

[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:

Originally Posted by suzanne4

A TN Visa is available to you, if you hold a Canadian passport. It is not available to permanent residents of Canada, due to the NAFTA Treaty.

You will need to apply to Board of Nursing for licensure, once credentials are approved, you will need to sit for the NCLEX exam. This can be done in any state, not required to be done where you will get your initial license. The shortest time for most Canadian residents is to go thru Minnesota. You are then able to endorse to almost any other state.

One other needed document is the Visa Screen Certificate. The application for this can be found on the website of CGFNS, www.cgfns.org. If you are from the Quebec region, and your training was in French, you will be required to pass the series of English exams. You have a choice of either TOEFL, TWE, and TSE, or the IELTS series with the Academic branch and the speaking section. Currently, the wait is about six weeks for the Certificate once you have passed the required exams.

[suzanne4]

A TN Visa is obtained at the US border when crossing into the US. You need to have a job offer in hand, as well as a Visa Screen Certificate.

If you are already in the US, you should be able to get the TN Visa at any immigration office. Just make sure that you have proper documents in hand.

[ShirleyM]

Hey, what's a Visa Screen certificate? When I went for my NCLEX( I'm from Toronto) I didn't have to do that...mind you, I didn't do a TN visa either but that's another story. I did my NCLEX thru Missouri and got endorsed with Texas. By doing that I got out of doing the CGFNS...the only language I speak is English and all my education was in English, so I thought it was dumb.

[suzanne4]

If you are from Canada, what type of visa are you on?
The Visa Screen Cerificate is required if you are getting a visa under your own name, and not a spousal visa. It is required for the green card as well as the TN Visa.
If you already have a green card, then this is not an issue for you.

[ShirleyM]

Originally Posted by suzanne4

If you are from Canada, what type of visa are you on?
The Visa Screen Cerificate is required if you are getting a visa under your own name, and not a spousal visa. It is required for the green card as well as the TN Visa.
If you already have a green card, then this is not an issue for you.

I came to the US because I was getting married so that's a different situation altogether. My then fiance and I applied under the fiance visa pre-9/11, so the protocol is different. I didn't have to get a Visa Screen and my petition for Permanent Resident status was approved in March, I'm just waiting for the green card to show up in my mail right now.

[suzanne4]

That is why you did not have to go thru the Visa Screen process. If you were going to come to the US on your own, you would need to go thru it, whether for the TN Visa or the green card.

[suzanne4]

Even with the K-1 visa now, you still do not need the VSC, as you are not applying for a visa on your own, but as a spouse. That is where the difference is.

[maro]

Hi Suzanne,

I am schooling in Tennessee and graduating in December. I am also a resident of Canada and hope to be a Canadian Citizen before mid next year.

DO you apply to Board of Nursing for Licensure before sitting for the NCLEX exam and how long does it take to get the licensure?


>>>> The shortest time for most Canadian residents is to go thru Minnesota. You are then able to endorse to almost any other state.


???? Why is it shorter with Minnesota. Can I then endorse with Tennessee after?

>>>>>>One other needed document is the Visa Screen Certificate. The application for this can be found on the website of CGFNS, www.cgfns.org.

?????? I am on F1 visa right now. Do I need to go thru the Visa Screen?

???? How long does the Green Card process take on the average in Tennessee

Originally Posted by suzanne4

A TN Visa is available to you, if you hold a Canadian passport. It is not available to permanent residents of Canada, due to the NAFTA Treaty.

You will need to apply to Board of Nursing for licensure, once credentials are approved, you will need to sit for the NCLEX exam. This can be done in any state, not required to be done where you will get your initial license. The shortest time for most Canadian residents is to go thru Minnesota. You are then able to endorse to almost any other state.

One other needed document is the Visa Screen Certificate. The application for this can be found on the website of CGFNS, www.cgfns.org. If you are from the Quebec region, and your training was in French, you will be required to pass the series of English exams. You have a choice of either TOEFL, TWE, and TSE, or the IELTS series with the Academic branch and the speaking section. Currently, the wait is about six weeks for the Certificate once you have passed the required exams.

[evajo]

Hi, Suzanne

Before I start shooting questions please let me introduce myself briefly: my name is Eva and I'm an RN from Canada, ON. I hope that you and everyone else here are doing OK....

Uh.... is that enough for the intro? I hope so ;-)

OK. Two questions - here goes the first one.

I'm not Canadian by birth. Before coming to Canada 13 yrs ago, I was educated and got a few yrs of experience as an RN in a non-English speaking country. After immigration here I finished a program for HCAs - Health Care Aides (now called PSW - Personal Support Worker here and CNA in the US)and worked as one for some time, then graduated from a RPN/LPN program, got registered and worked for several years, then graduated from RN refresher program at the local college, passed CRNE, got my registration and, guess what, I work as an RN.

I'm going to apply for VisaScreen soon and wonder if they would require passing English tests from me. Although my initial training as a nurse, years ago, was in language other than English, but I "rebuilt" my nursing career here, in English-speaking Canada (Ontario), taking everything from scratch and working exclusively in English.

What's your opinion Suzanne?

Regards,

Eva