Can anyone suggest a good US agency who takes foreign nurses

scottishRGN · Apr 6, 2008

Thanks for everyones help. I'll need to look into this further. I spoke to someone @ the US embassy in London 2yrs ago when i 1st started thinking about this and she told me to apply for an H1C visa for foreign registered nurses when i had done the exams & secured a job with an agency. I've since passed the CGFNS & also got a visa screen cert from them. I recently failed the NCLEX so am waiting to re-sit that. My main concern now is that i don't want to commit to 1 hospital when i eventually do come over. The whole reason i'm doing this is so i can use my training as a way to fund some travelling as i really want to see a bit of America. Any more suggestions? Thanks so much for your help! (oh, i did a 3yr Diploma if thats relevant to anything else)

LiverpoolJane · Apr 6, 2008

I can understand you not wanting to be tied to 1 hospital and the travel nurse programme sounds a really good way of doing exactly what you want.

I really don't know if you will find exactly what you are looking for, some of the recruitment agencies offer the travel nurse programme but as far as I know this is after you finish your placement with a hospital. I think if anything the tie in period is getting longer as I remember making enquiries about coming to the US over 10 years ago and was looking at somewhere between 12 - 24 months. Now I don't think anywhere is offerring such short contracts.

I am older than you but now my son has grown up I too would like to spread my wings a bit and venture out but have accepted a contract with a hospital willing to sponser me but only on a 3 year contract as I understand that this is about standard. You have nothing to lose by approaching agencies when you have passed NCLEX but as has been said without the "American experience" you may find it difficult to get what you want and may have to compromise. I would also point out that with retogression in place I think fewer hospitals will be willing to offer sponsorship at this present time.

One thing I do remember from one agency was that your commitment was worked out in hours rather than months / years and it was possible if you worked extra to reduce the actual amount of time of your contract. I'm not sure if this still exists but it would be one way of freeing yourself from an agency ASAP??

I wish you well and please keep us informed of your progress.

scottishRGN · Apr 6, 2008

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply. I'll keep looking into it. I think i'll make some phone calls tomorrow and do some more thinking.

suzanne4, RN · Apr 6, 2008

Sorry, but you were given the wrong information at the US Embassy there two years ago, very apparent that this person did not know of the requirements for nurses here in the US.

The H1-C visa is actually severely restricted and only offered to those that work in 15 facilities out of the entire US. You cannot use it to travel around the US working. Even the H1-B visa does not permit one to travel around the US working, it is specific for one employer only.

And more importantly, if you do not hold a four year degree to begin with, then your training would never meet the requirements for this either. The three year degree does not meet the requirements for it.

Travel assignments in the US also require that one has experience either working in the US first for at least one year. Things are done very differently here as the other UK nurses here can easily attest to.

Right now, the US is under the retrogression so what ever was in existance in the past just is not going to work for you. The only option that you have right now is the green card, or permanent residency. No other options are legally open to you at this time.

letina · Apr 6, 2008

scottishRGN,

I really feel for you at the moment, you sound so keen on getting here, and we all understand how frustrating it is. As you know, there are quite a few UK nurses who come on allnurses, all in the same predicament. In fact, some have given up and gone to other countries. :mad:

I just wanted to support what suzanne said about the embassy giving out wrong information. It probably sounds hard to believe that such an important Government department can have its people not know what they're talking about sometimes, but it's true. I have quite a few friends living here on business visas (they are not nurses) and you would be amazed at how many times they have been given incorrect info from the embassy. So it's not just you :rolleyes:

allnurses Guide · Apr 6, 2008

Sorry, but you are not under a temporary work visa which is the H1-B. You are actually under what is called a Treaty Visa and is entirely different from what is being discussed under this thread. The visa that you are under is called the E-3 visa and is restricted to those from your country.
Your type of visa also requires that the nurse hold a passport from Australia. It cannot be used by anyone else from any other country. And it is the only treaty visa where the spouse can also work.
The next closest is the TN Visa for those from Canada and Mexico, but the spouse is unable to work in the US, but can be included as a dependent only and not work.
Different in every aspect of processing as well as everything else.

Excuse me, but what I said is absolutely, 100% correct.

Someone posted that you cannot work as an RN on a non-immigrant visa. This is not correct, as I am working on one right now. I did not suggest I was working on a H1B, and I'm well aware of the E3 requirements.

suzanne4, RN · Apr 7, 2008

You are on a treaty visa that has different circumstances and requirements. It is not considered a non-immigrant visa such as the H1-B visa.

And to get the non-immigrant visa, or have a chance at one, it requires the four year BSN, and in the UK, most have only the three year degree so that does not work for them.

And there are no 13 week travel contracts in the US available for those that do not already have a green card or TN Visa. That is the point that I was trying to make.

Wen someone tells me that a US Embassy official told them to go for the H1-B, then I know that they were given poor information. It is not easy to get to start with.