Canadian RN to California - I need advice

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I need advice about moving to California for work. Anyone thats a registered nurse and made the move from Canada to California (or any other state) for work please comment.

I understand its a complex process moving to the states for work... here are my questions:

-What do I apply for first? immigration, job, or licence?

-What was your experience (sequence of events, set backs, successful, etc...)

-Should I use a service to aid with placement? Pros/Cons

Thank you in advance for your replies

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Until in the US with a valid US SSN you can not apply to California so may have to look at another state for registering as a nurse. Most employers will not look at you until registration is sorted. What route are you planning on moving with to work in the US?

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Thanks for the reply.

Im thinking about working in Texas, Washington, or Oregon first in order to reach my end goal of Cali.

The questions still remain: What do I deal with first? Job, immigration, or licence?

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

License would be first step as immigration or work visa requires visa screen certificate which requires pass in NCLEX or CGFNS exam

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I passed the NCLEX. Licence first or what?

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Still need to get license sorted first then look for employer who will file for EB3 and whilst that is happening go to CGFNS and get visa screen certificate. If applying for NAFTA then you need license sorted, visa screen certificate and letter from employer detailing job, employment duration etc.

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You might go through all of this and then Trump kills NAFTA. Since you'll be on a TN visa, you'll be out of a job potentially.

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