Can LPN's from Toronto-Canada work in California with canadian license?

I do believe you can under the Nafta agreement with the US, enter into the workplace and then apply for your Nclex,
However, I am myself open to enlightenment on this issue.

If, should you be asking, can one apply for a work visa , then It is my belief, you can do that under what they call a TN visa, which the usa enables nurses from mexico and canada to do.
But I may be inaccurate on that one writer.

To work in the US on a NAFTA visa you need to be a RN and meet a lot of requirements before being issued with the visa. As a LPN you do not meet any requirements to work in the US I would recommend you think about doing your RN

To obtain a TN visa you need to meet state requirements, pass NCLEX and have a visa screen certificate as well as a employer and employment letter

You will need to apply to the state and meet their requirements and pass NCLEX PN You can not work as a nurse in the US without it

No, sorry to say but the US requires a minimum of a 4 year degree (BSN) and you have to first be registered as an RN in Canada before applying to write the NCLEX for the USA. These are also the conditions under NAFTA.


My husband is American, I'm from British Columbia and just finishing up my degree so I've looked into all this. My sister is an LPN

If you are getting a GC from another source and do not need sponsoring for a work visa then a LPN should meet state requirements and you are eligible to sit NCLEX. OP states they are getting GC before they move so shouldn't have any problems but will need to meet state requirements which do vary. Only if applying for a work visa ie GC and NAFTA do you need to be RN.

Hi

To be eligible for a RN license in California, one MUST take and pass the NCLEX-RN exams.

To simplify things a little, eligibility to work in California (i.e. green card) and eligibility for a nursing license are 2 separate issues. Like me, OP is married to an American, so no issue with with working there.

While some states do grant reciprocity (your RN license can be endorsed to another state), California is NOT one of them. Even though I had been licensed as a RN in Ontario for 6 years, I still had to sit the NCLEX RN exams.

I contacted the state board well in advance of my move, and arranged to sit the exams.

Since it had been 6+ years since I sat the Canadian exams and had worked only in Rehab, I bought an NCLEX RN review book and signed up for a "crash" NCLEX-RN review course. I had no trouble passing. I highly reccommend such a review course if it has been a while since you sat the Canadian exams.



For RN's, I am 100% certain of this information, as I just went through the process again when we moved back to California last May. I would imagine it would be the similar for LPN, but the best thing, as always, is to contact the California board of Nursing about licensure questions.

I hope that helps..... and good luck!

Hi , many thanks for you insight from a canandian perspective, but allow me to shove you a little further to the edge, Did you as a candian come under a TN visa to work in the usa or as sponsorsee from your american spouse, and if so , could you throw some light on the claim, that one can under a TN visa come and work in the USA and complete your NCLEX whilst working as a nurse here in the usa, providing you pass the C.G.N.S.Additionally , does one have to also sit the CGFNS in canada before you arrive in the US or can one complete that as well in the USA because I believe the NAFTA agreement allows it.And are canadians also subject to a CGNS exam[I hope that I have got that correct]even though their first language is official kings english.

I can understand the requirement for mexico, are not all canadians subject to official english as the national language. many thanks for your trouble, yours kindly

Hi. I am glad to help.

"Did you as a candian come under a TN visa to work in the usa or as sponsorsee from your american spouse"
I got married in the USA to an American and got my green card shortly after--(BUT that was pre- 911)

"Could you throw some light on the claim, that one can under a TN visa come and work in the USA and complete your NCLEX whilst working as a nurse here in the usa, providing you pass the C.G.N.S."

Sorry, I know nothing about TN Visa requirements. As for working prior to sitting the NCLEX exams, my guess would be no because I could not practice here (CA) until AFTER I sat NCLEX. That is a BON requirement and I'd be surprised if that would change with any type of visa. Check with the Board of Nursing to be sure.

"Additionally , does one have to also sit the CGFNS in canada before you arrive in the US or can one complete that as well in the USA because I believe the NAFTA agreement allows it. And are canadians also subject to a CGNS exam[I hope that I have got that correct]even though their first language is official kings english".

I am not familiar with, and did not have to take, a CGNS exam. Is that an English language proficiency exam? If yes, then Canadians whose mother tongue is not English and/or whose RN program was not in English may very well be subject to a language proficiency test. Yes, English is the "official" national language but not everyone in Canada speaks English fluently.

"many thanks for your trouble, yours kindly"

You are very welcome; it was no trouble at all!