Are US territories affected by retrogression?

[alex88]

Is labor and immigration in US territories governed by US federal law? Can foreigners with US RN license bypass the effects of retrogression in the US mainland and work in US territories instead?

For example (actually, I am not sure if my information is correct), at present, Saipan can hire foreign nurses with US RN license despite the retrogression because it has its own labor and immigration laws. However, this holds only until the recent federalization law (affecting immigration) takes full effect.

[suzanne4, RN]

Your training needs to meet their requirements for immigration, it is not a matter of being able to write the NCLEX-RN exam. That does not grant a license.

From your country, the BSN is required for immigration. That is the minimum for any nurse from your country that is needing to get approval from immigration as it is the only training that is accepted by your government for licensure.

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In the future, we ask that you post the same question or similar questions in only one place and wait for an answer.

Thanks for your understanding.

[alex88]

Thank you, suzanne.

I'm sorry for posting a similar thread... It's been a while seen I last logged in... I guess I just got too excited...

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Anyway, my more important concern is, after getting my ADN and US RN license, I need a country where I can practice, at least to get some work experience, and not necessarily for immigration. With the retrogression, this is impossible to do in the US mainland. Also, I cannot practice in my home country using my US ADN degree. This is why I thought of the US territories, where some have their own rules on hiring foreign nurses (thus, not affected by retrogression).

Are you saying then that as long as I meet the labor rules and requirements for foreign nurses in those US territories, then I can work there?

[suzanne4, RN]

The US territories have the same requirements as the US mainland for work, and that is where you are going to run into trouble. Your country does not recognize the training that you have had, so you cannot expect any other countries to issue a visa based on that training.

Anyone from your country needs to have the BSN.

The only territory that you would be speaking of is Saipan, Guam actually follows all of the rules of the US mainland. They even require the full US tourist visa to visit there.

All of the other territories follow the US mainland rules.