BC RN moving to Seattle WA - TN Visa

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Specializes in Surgical.

Hello! I know many Vancouver nurses have moved to Seattle here, and I just had a question about whether you needed a WA license before applying.

What I have:

  • Canadian citizenship (passport)
  • CGFNS VisaScreen (transcripts, BC active license etc.)
  • already passed NCLEX
  • Job offer from Virginia Mason

WSDOH is held up right now so I don’t have the license approved yet, was wondering if they wanted a WA license in order to approve your TN visa?

thanks for your help!! ?

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Hi there,

I am a RN originally from Vancouver who just went through the TN process for the second time earlier this week. You will need to present your WA state license at the border in order to obtain TN status. They will take a photocopy of it at the border for their records - if you do not get a physical copy in the mail before your departure, you can print a license verification on the WA DOH provider lookup webpage. A little tip for the process - they will have you fill out a form describing your job duties and the percentage of your day you spend doing each duty. 

Wishing you the best in your journey to the US! 

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Specializes in Surgical.
On 4/1/2022 at 10:41 PM, bigblondebun said:

describing your job duties and the percentage of your day you spend doing each duty

Hello! Thank you so much for your response! Did you require a proper percentages from your employer for this form? Or did you just write down from your own knowledge/experience of what your duties are? I’m thinking there’s so much we do as nurses how do I even write it all down ?

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I just write it down from knowledge/experience! The first time, I was nervous enough already about everything working out that I had trouble racking my brain putting what we do into words/percentages. It all worked out but I thought you may appreciate the heads up! Good luck with everything ?

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Specializes in Med surg.

Hey guys! I am also in the process of completing my CGFNS and looking to connect with hospitals in Seattle area for work to obtain a job offer letter. How did you connect with managers in Seattle? Did you go through a travel agency? Or connect directly connect with the hospital? Any guidance would help!!  

 

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Hi! I was moving for a permanent staff position, so I applied directly through the hospital's website, and then emailed their HR to let them know I'm Canadian and where I was during the CGFNS/registration process. When it took longer than I would've liked to hear from the manager, I reached out to HR again and heard from the manager shortly after. I have worked with a couple Canadian travelers who work through Aya - so they are a travel company that is familiar with the paperwork, although I'm sure they're not the only one.

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