Irish Male Nurse needing your advice and suggestions...please.

P_RN, ADN, RN · Sep 7, 2006

WIll move to international nursing. Suzanne4 there is an expert on these matters.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Sep 7, 2006

Hello All .,
Nice to be part of your site, have been reading some excellent posts over the last few days, very informative.
My problem: Want to work in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Dont know where to begin, regarding all thats required, i.e. visa, NCLEX, CGFNS etc, so I decided to contact an agency....OGP.
I'm heading to their presentation day tomorrow. I have read some rather discouraging posts about OGP (which I'm grateful for)..now I'm all a confused.
I'm scared! Would love to be able to try and organise it all myself, but where do you start! My partner is a teacher and would be looking for a visa and work also.
If any of you guys can help in any way, I would be so indebted to you. Oh, and I 'm sorry if I've posted this in the wrong area!

hi and welcome

Please read the sticky at the top of the page called Primer, it has all info required. Very hard for your partner to get a work visa in the US as a teacher and to get one through you you must be married.

Good luck

:groupwelcome:

suzanne4, RN · Sep 7, 2006

There are some exchange visas available for teacher's, but it is only for a maximum of three years, and then they need to leave. It is called a J-1, you can look into that. There may be some others, but that is the one that is seen the most.

postop · Sep 7, 2006

There are some exchange visas available for teacher's, but it is only for a maximum of three years, and then they need to leave. It is called a J-1, you can look into that. There may be some others, but that is the one that is seen the most.

Thanks for the advice. I thought he would have no problem as a teacher getting in. OGP have assured me it wont be a problem! *Scratching head*!!

God im losted with all this! I'm kinda thinking of 'going it alone' and trying to sort it all out myself without the need of an agency. They appear to make life alittle more easier I had thought?!

Geena, BSN, RN · Sep 7, 2006

There are many of us who have done it solo. Of course you can!

It's not really that complicated - many runs to the post-office though and alot of waiting!

Of course an agency would *no problem* anything at this stage?

Just go on your own. Choice of location, hospital, salary... in the end it does pay off.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Sep 7, 2006

Thanks for the advice. I thought he would have no problem as a teacher getting in. OGP have assured me it wont be a problem! *Scratching head*!!
God im losted with all this! I'm kinda thinking of 'going it alone' and trying to sort it all out myself without the need of an agency. They appear to make life alittle more easier I had thought?!

another website I go on mentions a lot of problems for teachers getting jobs as they have to pass the state exams and usually go on H1B and problems are finding someone willing to go H1B route and the visas usually go really quick and I think all have gone for next year

Good luck tho

suzanne4, RN · Sep 8, 2006

Thanks for the advice. I thought he would have no problem as a teacher getting in. OGP have assured me it wont be a problem! *Scratching head*!!
God im losted with all this! I'm kinda thinking of 'going it alone' and trying to sort it all out myself without the need of an agency. They appear to make life alittle more easier I had thought?!

Sorry but I do not agree with anything that they usually say. And they have no say over visas for teachers. They have nothing to do with that field.

Unless you are legally married, then they cannot be petitioned with you for a green card. All other visas are temporary and are subject to being cancelled at any time. No matter what the agency tells you.

dawg07 · Sep 8, 2006

Since you have internet access, a great resource would be for you to go to the CGFNS (Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools) web site, and look up VisaScreen, also check with the Florida Board of Nursing to confirm their requirements. There are two types of visa you are eligible for, one is 3 years and non-renewable , the other is renewable one time, if you just want to work here. If you are considering emigration, then a sponsored visa would be the answer. Many of your questions can be answered by the US consulates.

Another option might be to write to several hospitals that you would consider working at, and ask about sponsorship.

http://www.cgfns.org/ good luck

Silverdragon102, BSN · Sep 8, 2006

Since you have internet access, a great resource would be for you to go to the CGFNS (Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools) web site, and look up VisaScreen, also check with the Florida Board of Nursing to confirm their requirements. There are two types of visa you are eligible for, one is 3 years and non-renewable , the other is renewable one time, if you just want to work here. If you are considering emigration, then a sponsored visa would be the answer. Many of your questions can be answered by the US consulates.
Another option might be to write to several hospitals that you would consider working at, and ask about sponsorship.
http://www.cgfns.org/ good luck

nurses can only apply for greencard

suzanne4, RN · Sep 8, 2006

Since you have internet access, a great resource would be for you to go to the CGFNS (Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools) web site, and look up VisaScreen, also check with the Florida Board of Nursing to confirm their requirements. There are two types of visa you are eligible for, one is 3 years and non-renewable , the other is renewable one time, if you just want to work here. If you are considering emigration, then a sponsored visa would be the answer. Many of your questions can be answered by the US consulates.
Another option might be to write to several hospitals that you would consider working at, and ask about sponsorship.
http://www.cgfns.org/ good luck

For the RN, the only option is the green card, there are no temporary work visas available for RNs. And you never, ever use the word "sponsorship" it is the kiss of death in gettign petitioned, it brings back memories of the H1-B days that most facilities would seen forget.

Currently, the only option for RNs is the green card, for PTs they can avail of the H1-B visas, as well as some others. But the RNs are fast-tracked.

dawg07 · Sep 8, 2006

a green card is a permanent resident visa, different from the h1 visa's. my info is from research with cgfns and the state department about foreign trained nurses working in the us that i did for one of my graduate courses recently. visascreen is required by the federal law.

"section 343 of the illegal immigration reform and responsibility act of 1996 requires that certain non-u.s. healthcare professionals successfully complete a screening program prior to receiving an occupational visa, such as the h-1b, h-2b, tn status and permanent (green card) visas.

in 2003, the u.s. citizenship and immigration services (uscis) published final rules required under section 343 of the illegal immigration reform and immigration responsibility act of 1996. under these final rules, internationally-educated healthcare professionals, such as nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, physician assistants, medical technicians, medical laboratory technologists, speech language pathologists, and audiologists who are seeking temporary or permanent occupational visas as well as those who are seeking trade nafta (tn) status, are required to first obtain a cgfns/ichp visascreen™ certificate as part of the visa process"

the intent for immigration was not stated, but the temporary visa requirements are clear, and in adition, the requirement to pass the nclex is there. there may also be requirements for the ces or the certification exam or both depending on state. and yes, health professionals are fast tracked per se, but it is still a time consuming process. the nclex is offered internationally, sites and information are available from the national council of state boards of nursing at www.ncsbn.org. i do not know about fees for international tests.

i mentioned sponsored visa as an option only because some facilities or health care organizations are willing to sponsor nurses, but often requie a passed nclex before commiting to a contract, one that is usually for the term of the visa (as i believe suzanne4 noted in a different posting on another thread.)

i also work with a couple of rn' from africa who used "professional placement services" of one form or another and their out of pocket cost was significantly more than if they had pursued the visa on their own. the advantage for them was that they did not have to do the leg work.