Best Placement Agency for U.S

Rep · Dec 19, 2005

My sister went through an agency based in the US who looked for her an employer. The agency processed her petition and helped in the visa process. She will be leaving for the US this January.

Just as I said before, if we don't have the financial means, i.e., no money, no rich relatives, and no collateral for bank loans, then go through an agency. Just look for the good ones.

Rep · Dec 19, 2005

Good post...

Here are my personal tips in finding a good agency. Some are my experiences. If it's really the last resort as what lawrence has said. Though most Filipinos are more than willing to bite the bullet. Myself included.
(Not necessarily in order of importance):
1. A good agency should have at least a 1/8 page of advertisement in the classified ads section of a Sunday issue of major newspaper . If the ad is placed at the "per line" section, forget about it. You should not trust an agency scrimping on advertising budget.
2. Do read carefully the initial come-ons like "free this and that". If there is nothing in the ad about the expenses that will be shouldered by the agency (e.g free I-140 petition, NCLEX and IELTS fees etc.) chances are you will be paying for them. And this will be a case of a nurse jumping out of the pan and straight into the fire.
3. Call the agency and ask them to elaborate on what was stated in their ad. They should have competent employees who have enough knowledge about immigration process concerning nurses. If they don't know what is EB3 Schedule A and they give you the runarounds that is a clear sign of what is going to come if you do sign with them.
4. Make a personal visit to the agency. If the office they are occupying is close to being dilapidated, furnitures that house immigrant insects, office equipments from pre-war era, you should immediately run coz you are their chance to move in to a better location. Don't be a willing prey to them. A good agency should have a decent office.
5. Observe the people in the agency. They should be warm towards you and you should not be treated like an ordinary worker to be deployed somewhere in the middle east or middle earth. Remember that a nurse is an unpolished gem that is waiting for her karats to shine (i.e. successfully relocated to the USA). You can make them smile if you tell them the substantial amount they will earn from your two or three-year contract with them.
These are my tips in finding a good agency for US in the contract pre-signing stage. Take your time in reading the fine prints of the contract. Ask for what you think is lacking as what other agencies are offering. Ask your friends who are currently under contract from an agency if they are not experiencing any problem from them. Think thrice before signing a contract. Bear in mind that it is legally binding and if you breach it it will always haunt you.

annasol06 · Dec 19, 2005

Well just to let you know that i am a victim of those agencies here in manila. all their promises were ...well promises! like payment for all those exams needed and fees for INS filing... well it took them 3 years! I was even the one who shouldered the CGFNS, TSE, Visascreesn, Medical Exam, etc just to move my papers. there was no facility waiting for me and to top it off when they finally found one it was a hospital border to mexico and guess! 1:8 nurse-patient ratio all high risk and surgical patients! My advise is for you to scrutinize all the fine details and better get those who hire directly and not some staffing agency, better yet consult an immigration lawyer to protect you from these unscrupulous agencies. Well i wonder if the local government knows this shenanigans?

suzanne4, RN · Dec 19, 2005

There are agencies claiming that they are direct hiring and that there's no hidden fees. Does this mean that they're not really telling the truth? Just a way to lure innocent nurses?
I agree that if you can pay for the expenses then just do it. But how about those who can't afford it? Loan from family and friends? This applies only to those who have rich friends, etc. In the Philippines you cannot apply for a loan without a collateral. What if the poor nurse only has his BRAIN? And so placement cannot be a last resort. I am not advocating this, am just simply sharing my views.
The thread says best placement agencies for US. I know that there's a hidden $20,000 off our pocket if we signed-up for the "wrong agency". But is it universal? Are all agencies like this? How about our fellow posters who have gone through good ones share their views? I have read all the post for this thread and so far the query was not answered. But instead, a debate on whether to go for it or not to go for agency. Why don't we start naming a few good agencies who won't eat-up our hard earned money.

It depends on how the agecny is being funded. If it is by the hospital, then their payment should come only from them, and you would be responsible for your expenses. If the agency is paying all of your fees, then you will be getting $5 per hour on average taken from your pay to cover this, especially expect it when you are an employee of the agency and not the facility.

I only recommend agencies that will place you as a direct hire with a facility, and then you work for the hospital. And get the full salary that is paid to the American nurses. For most of these types of contracts, the nurse needs to pay for their exams, and visa fees as they occur, and then the attorney's fee is paid out over so many months once you begin work.

The hospital would pay the relocation fee to you, not the agency, as what happens with the other agencies as well, and that should cover all expenses incurred, or at least almost all.

This is the smart way of doing things.

But something else to be aware of, if the agency has a beautiful office over there, where is that money coming from? Sorry, but I have not been impressed by one agency that I have seen operate out of there, and I do not know of one with offices there that is operating the way that they should and not taking advantage of anyone.

If so, I would not be getting all of the e-mails that I do from nurses based there that are having issues with working ove3r here. And there is alot of that going on.

suzanne4, RN · Dec 19, 2005

There are agencies claiming that they are direct hiring and that there's no hidden fees. Does this mean that they're not really telling the truth? Just a way to lure innocent nurses?
I agree that if you can pay for the expenses then just do it. But how about those who can't afford it? Loan from family and friends? This applies only to those who have rich friends, etc. In the Philippines you cannot apply for a loan without a collateral. What if the poor nurse only has his BRAIN? And so placement cannot be a last resort. I am not advocating this, am just simply sharing my views.
The thread says best placement agencies for US. I know that there's a hidden $20,000 off our pocket if we signed-up for the "wrong agency". But is it universal? Are all agencies like this? How about our fellow posters who have gone through good ones share their views? I have read all the post for this thread and so far the query was not answered. But instead, a debate on whether to go for it or not to go for agency. Why don't we start naming a few good agencies who won't eat-up our hard earned money.

You will be getting $5 per hour from your check to go to the agency when it should have been in your pocket. If you do the math, based on a 2 year contract, then that is about $20,000, expenses are only about $4000, so they are making $16,000 from you over the two years. This happens if the nurse is an employee of the agency. And this happens to nurses from other countries as well, and the number one after Manila? The UK. And most of them can afford the fees, but they do not take the time to look.

Find out if the relocation bonus that the hospitals usually pay, is it going to you or the agency? You should be getting it. This is another way that the agencies are profiting from you as well.

lawrence01 · Dec 20, 2005

There are agencies claiming that they are direct hiring and that there's no hidden fees. Does this mean that they're not really telling the truth? Just a way to lure innocent nurses?
I agree that if you can pay for the expenses then just do it. But how about those who can't afford it? Loan from family and friends? This applies only to those who have rich friends, etc. In the Philippines you cannot apply for a loan without a collateral. What if the poor nurse only has his BRAIN? And so placement cannot be a last resort. I am not advocating this, am just simply sharing my views.
The thread says best placement agencies for US. I know that there's a hidden $20,000 off our pocket if we signed-up for the "wrong agency". But is it universal? Are all agencies like this? How about our fellow posters who have gone through good ones share their views? I have read all the post for this thread and so far the query was not answered. But instead, a debate on whether to go for it or not to go for agency. Why don't we start naming a few good agencies who won't eat-up our hard earned money.

Good post and I agree no one has answered the query yet. :)

suzanne4, RN · Dec 20, 2005

I know of agencies that are doing direct hiring and there are no hidden fees, you are contracted directly by the facility. They do exist. And that is what you need to use. You are responsible for all of your fees, and the hospitals give you a relocation bonus, so that essentially covers everything. You can also find your own immigration attorney, which I also recommend. That way you know how things are being done and the attorney is working for you, not the agency or the facility. Your best interests are then in place for you.

Rep · Dec 21, 2005

Well just to let you know that i am a victim of those agencies here in manila. all their promises were ...well promises! like payment for all those exams needed and fees for INS filing... well it took them 3 years! I was even the one who shouldered the CGFNS, TSE, Visascreesn, Medical Exam, etc just to move my papers. there was no facility waiting for me and to top it off when they finally found one it was a hospital border to mexico and guess! 1:8 nurse-patient ratio all high risk and surgical patients! My advise is for you to scrutinize all the fine details and better get those who hire directly and not some staffing agency, better yet consult an immigration lawyer to protect you from these unscrupulous agencies. Well i wonder if the local government knows this shenanigans?

I am sorry to hear that this has happened to you.

nurse_anne · Dec 27, 2005

hi to all and to suzanne

here i am again and i'm so happy coz i passed my cgfns exam last nov 2005!!

as of now i'm planning to sign-in to one of the agencies here in the Phil. but there's something bothering me...

they're asking me to pay them $ 1000 for security bond before they process my papers. their reason was there were some nurses who previously signed to them then suddenly backed out and changed to other agencies. they assured us that it is refundable when i get to U.S.

do you think its all right to sign to this agency? i'm worried that i maybe fooled with this one....

hope someone can give some advice before i sign my conntract to them...

thank you!!

Happy holidays!!!

ninacf · Dec 28, 2005

hi to all and to suzanne
here i am again and i'm so happy coz i passed my cgfns exam last nov 2005!!
as of now i'm planning to sign-in to one of the agencies here in the Phil. but there's something bothering me...
they're asking me to pay them $ 1000 for security bond before they process my papers. their reason was there were some nurses who previously signed to them then suddenly backed out and changed to other agencies. they assured us that it is refundable when i get to U.S.
do you think its all right to sign to this agency? i'm worried that i maybe fooled with this one....
hope someone can give some advice before i sign my conntract to them...
thank you!!
Happy holidays!!!

Hi nurse_anne. I too was obliged by my agency to pay a bond in the amount of $212 I paid at a surety bond company. It is also refundable upon my deployment to the US. The $1000 they are asking from you is very exorbitant and I advice you to look for another agency. Though I heard from my nurse friends that almost all of the agencies are now requiring surety bond.

Happy holidays to all!

ronie888 · Jan 5, 2006

Hi, i am a newbie here and just passed the Phil RN board exam last Dec. I am so glad i found this site and have been surfing the fora for the past 2 weeks. I am particularly glued on the Phil nurses forum for obvious reasons. I am now preparing all my papers for my impending CA BON licensure application and am scheduling myself for the required English Proficiency Tests. Suzanne, can I take IELTS for California's requirements though it states TOEFL in their application form?

I totally agree with Suzanne that the best way to keep our money in our pockets is to take all the tests (and pass them) and do most of the other pre-requisites, and find direct employers, through the internet and thru referrals. I have been impressed with Suzanne's breadth and depth of contributions, not to mention her more than 12,000 posts in 3 years.

Reading between the lines, I think Suzanne can help us pinoy/pinay nurses get a better deal for US employment. I think she mentioned that for a nurse applicant to be taken seriously, that applicant must have at least passed NCLEX or CGFNS. So for those who have this minimum qualification (which I hope to have in 6-8 months), I think you should PM Suzanne who, based on my limited exposure to her posts, is well-qualified to assist nurses who want to find employment abroad. She has a training center, she has more than two decades of nursing background, she cares for her fellow nurses and all her replies make sense- I think she can help us without us paying her an arm and a leg for her services.

More power to members who care and share!!!

lawrence01 · Jan 6, 2006

Hi, i am a newbie here and just passed the Phil RN board exam last Dec. I am so glad i found this site and have been surfing the fora for the past 2 weeks. I am particularly glued on the Phil nurses forum for obvious reasons. I am now preparing all my papers for my impending CA BON licensure application and am scheduling myself for the required English Proficiency Tests. Suzanne, can I take IELTS for California's requirements though it states TOEFL in their application form?
I totally agree with Suzanne that the best way to keep our money in our pockets is to take all the tests (and pass them) and do most of the other pre-requisites, and find direct employers, through the internet and thru referrals. I have been impressed with Suzanne's breadth and depth of contributions, not to mention her more than 12,000 posts in 3 years.
Reading between the lines, I think Suzanne can help us pinoy/pinay nurses get a better deal for US employment. I think she mentioned that for a nurse applicant to be taken seriously, that applicant must have at least passed NCLEX or CGFNS. So for those who have this minimum qualification (which I hope to have in 6-8 months), I think you should PM Suzanne who, based on my limited exposure to her posts, is well-qualified to assist nurses who want to find employment abroad. She has a training center, she has more than two decades of nursing background, she cares for her fellow nurses and all her replies make sense- I think she can help us without us paying her an arm and a leg for her services.
More power to members who care and share!!!

TOEFL? Are you sure?? Can you pls. paste the EXACT website link that says it. I can't seem to find it. Thanks.