Wishing to work in California - Canadian RN

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Hello!

I am a Canadian nurse looking to work in California. I have heard that in order to work in California you need to apply for a license by endorsement, however as I am not licensed in the states yet, can I apply for licensure by exam? I have looked on the state board of nursing website and I have not seen anything to suggest that I should not apply by exam, but browsing thorough topics here I am getting confused. It has also been difficult as getting through to a real live person from the board of nursing has proven difficult.

I also have a question about social security numbers, as the application requires one and says that it will absolutely not be processed without one. As Canadian I do not have an American social security number, and I was under the understand I cannot get one until I have a job. But need one in order to get a job. Quite the problem!

Lastly, does anyone have suggestions for reputable travel nurse agencies, or any that they have had good experiences with? I have been in contact with one which seems to have received good reviews, but am unsure if I should be researching other companies more thoroughly.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!

Sarah

I just went through this whole process, it takes a long time and a lot of paperwork but I am now in California. In order to get a SSN, you need to work in another state first that let's you license without one. So here is what I did.

-I applied for a license by examination in Minnesota (easiest state to apply for Canadians) No intention of working here but just to be able to write the nclex. Once they process your application, you get an authorization to test then you can write the enxlex at a pearson vue centre.

-Once I had my nclex done and was licensed in Minnesota, I started talking to travel agencies. They will help you find jobs and you can negotiate things like your nclex and visa screen to be reimbursed if you sign with them.

-You also need a Visa screen certificate (CGFNS does this) this paper verifies your schooling and canadian/us license. This document also can take months to process as things have to come directly from your school and nursing board not from yourself. You need this tocross the border.

- TN visa. This is the easiest visa for RN's but must be Canadian. It is easy to get as you need all your paperwork in order and can get this as you cross the border. I got mine crossing to go to my first assignment.

-US SSN. Once you have your TN visa, you can apply for the SSN.

-During my first assignment, I applied for the SSN. Then once I whad that, I started the application for license by endorsement for California. Thus while I was waiting for the California license I was working at my first travel assignment. When my assignment was over, I had my Cali license. Getting the Cali license in itself is long and complicated as well. It doesnt matter what US licenses you hold you still need to resend transcripts etc. Licenses in the US don't crss over they each have their own criteria.

Long and complicated process but it was worth it for me. PM me if you want more information. I found it really hard to find specific information when I was going through this process and could have saved myself a lot of time knowing what I know now :)

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Hi there,

I'm also looking to go to Cali. Since we can do nclex now in canada, is it possible to be approved in canada to do nclex, and then sign up with a travel nurse agency to work in a state that does not require ssn and then get a ssn and apply for a license endorse to Cali?

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

We have had a couple of members that was Canadian be denied a CA license, not always a guarantee that you will meet their requirements. Also you need to check that the state will accept NCLEX pass from Canada

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Hi Frangelicag!!

Thanks so much for posting such great tips!! I'm a Canadian RN with my BScN and 5 years experience working on the floor. I'm hoping to do the exact same thing that you have done, as a travel agency rep said this would be the easiest way to get to SoCal! I'm a new member so I can't PM you but I had a few questions...

1. How long did the process for license by examination in Minnesota take?

2. https://allnurses.com/world-nursing/for-canadian-rns-840858.html

In this thread, they mention "Credential Verification Service for New York State". Did you have to do this? Or did you only use CGFNS for your Visa screen certificate?

3. Which travel agency did you find most helpful? Did you find one that covers the NCLEX and visa costs?

4. How long did everything take, from taking your NCLEX, to get to Cali?

5. I'm currently reviewing content for NCLEX, in the meantime while I'm studying, I was thinking of starting the application process for license by examination in Minnesota and CGFNS for the visa screen. Is there anything else I should be applying for to kill some waiting time?

Thanks so much for your help!!! You're truly an inspiration!

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Hi @hellomoto I have the same questions as you do regarding the licensure. Just wondering whether you're working in California now? How long does the process take in general?

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Hello, Im from Canada. I want to endorsed my new York license to California.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
Hello, Im from Canada. I want to endorsed my new York license to California.

As long as you have a US SSN then you can start endorsing your application as per the BRN website

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How do I PM you?

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
How do I PM you?

Once you have 15 or more posts you can use the pm system

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Oh man :( that's weird. I just want to get a hold of someone who managed to swing the Canada to California thing. I totally need a SIN or ITIN I guess. I'm a Canadian NCLEX-passed Criticsl care RN and my boyfriend is moving to Cali and I would like to go too but having a job first would be nice. No one at the college answers the phone right now and I've racked up too many long distance minutes trying.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
Oh man :( that's weird. I just want to get a hold of someone who managed to swing the Canada to California thing. I totally need a SIN or ITIN I guess. I'm a Canadian NCLEX-passed Criticsl care RN and my boyfriend is moving to Cali and I would like to go too but having a job first would be nice. No one at the college answers the phone right now and I've racked up too many long distance minutes trying.

Until you are in the US with valid US SSN you can not apply to California. Suggest starting with another state but also suggest a search as California is a difficult state to register with especially if trained outside the US

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