if not California then what?

I have moved your thread to the International Forum as you are applying for licensure as an RN. You are not applying for the NCLEX exam and have additional requirements that need to be met.

I would advise that you take the time to do some reading on this site as much has already been written on this very topic. it is not just a point of picking a state, but other factors need to be included as well.

you may stick to california if you want, if it is the state you really wanted to work in. if will be more frustrating to apply to a state where you don't want to work and you will find yourself filing an endorsement to a state where you really want to work, which may be time wasting or much more expensive...

but if you'll start from a scratch, and it really doesn't bother you which state to apply for licensure, I would suggest a state that has no English exam (just for a start, because an english exam will be needed for your visa screen, so you would take it anyway). A state with a CES (from CGFNS) requirement may also be beneficial if you want to further your studies, and a majority of states requires it..

this is just my opinion, but listen more closely to the moderators because they know almost all the processes and what's good for you. thumbs up!

CA actually does not have a language exam, only if one is applying for the IP and then that also requires that one has taken and passed the CGFNS exam.

What you are not seeing is the fact that CA will not issue a license without a SSN#. File containing the passing result of the NCLEX exam is then destroyed in three years. Even if one files for an extension, they are only given one year. The retrogression has been in place for two years already, chances of getting a green card are well over five years now; so do the math. Why spend money when it is just going to be thrown out the window and one would need to reapply to CA down the road as well for licensure right from the very beginning. And since CA does not issue a license number, then one cannot use CA to endorse to another state either and one would have to start any procedure from scratch.

CA does not share anything sent to them, so everything would be done as if nothing was ever submitted. Money is tight now for many people, why spend money if it just going to get flushed away? Just makes no sense at all to me. Even if the goal is to work in CA; next issue is that CA now has the second highest rate of unemployment in the country, so it is also going to be almost impossible to find any legitimate employer that will even consider starting the process of a nurse that they may never see. When there are Americans out of work, they are not going to be hiring a foreign nurse. Why would they?

oh yes, i forgot that idea of Ca. "destroying" the files if you don't submit to them your SSN...

but i have heard, and i don't know if this is true, that if you call CA and reason out why you still haven't got your SSN, they'll just extend the specific time-frame that is required of you to provide the SSN..(again, I'm not sure with this..)

Not all get the extension, and then it is only for one year. Again, with it being more than five years for a chance at a green card, why go this route? And chances are that it is going to be closer if not over 7 years.

Just bad idea to use CA. Another reason to add fuel to the fire is the fact they do not participate in Quick Results, so one then has to wait for about a month to even get their scores. And letters do get lost.

And one can never call for anything, any extension request must always be submitted in writing; no BON anywhere accepts something by phone call. Legally it cannot be done.

All around, very bad idea.

Can we ask where you got licensed thru or if you completed the process?

This is why we told the op not to go thru CA for initial licensure in the first place, there are many threads here that list all of the reasons why one should not do it.

Add to the fact that CA is now #3 in the country in terms of unemployment so chances of getting a job here are also going to be quite slim. Hospitals are having lay-offs all over, or hiring freezes; they most definitely are not going to even consider hiring a foreign nurse when they have Americans that they have laid off from jobs as nurses here.

Best of luck to you on your exam.

But do not expect any changes, this has been their policy for years not something new. And actually more and more states are going to this as well.