Licenses without a SSN#

suzanne4, RN · Apr 15, 2008

Actually a fairly decent size of states have issues licenses without a green card, such as NY, CA, NM, VT.

This is not anything new, but we are seeing requirements change all of the time for the states.

You also do not need a green card specifically for most states in the first place, even CA or even Texas, but proof that you can legally work in the US.

RNGrad2006 · Apr 15, 2008

I can't believe any state would issue a licenses without a green card or proof of citizenship.
Wow, that is unreal that Arizona would of done that in the past.

It doesn't really help a person in the long run to have a license without a work visa anyway since licensure and immigration are two very separate entities. But just remember that at times people need licensure in order to continue with schooling. I had this experience myself. I was never informed when I started this process and learned the hard way along the way (and have tried to help others in similar situations since then). But I took a PN course with the intention of continuing on with my RN afterwards but nobody informed me that LPN to RN programs at least in Washington State require licensure as an LPN in order to qualify to continue on with schooling at the RN level. In Washington State they will not give you licensure without a SSN yet you can't get a job as a foreign nurse as an LPN since they don't have a shortage of LPN's in the US. It is a catch 22. It was incredibly difficult to resolve this dilemma. And with the current immigration situation things are getting harder all the time. I was fortunate enough not through the help of my school at all but through a lot of research and digging on my own to get OPT status for 4 months which allowed me to get my SSN and that allowed me to get my license which allowed me to continue with school down the road. One of the main reasons I came to the US in the first place is because the waiting list to get into school in BC (Canada) is very long and the only option is a bachelors. When I started I was about 37 or 38 years with two small boys and an unemployed husband so didn't have the time or money to waste. Although it was not cheap going to school in the US either at International rates. But think down the road it has been worth it for me. We love it down here and consider ourselves fortunate but the process is a difficult and long one that people who have not been through a similar experience are completely unaware of.

allnurses Guide · Apr 16, 2008

Why not? Being capable to sit the licensing exam is totally separate to being able to work in the US. It's not like an employer would let you start work as a nurse in the US just with a license...?

suzanne4, RN · Apr 16, 2008

As we repeatedly say here, licensure and immigration are two very different things. And yes, the final outcome is the nurse needs a visa before they can begin work, so it really does not matter.

What you do not understand is that having a license does not give one permission to work, and that is what makes it up to an invidual state to decide how they want to handle things. They can only grant a license, the visa is done by the federal government.