Filipino RN with US Tourist visa

RNHawaii34 · Feb 21, 2007

hi there,
assuming you take bsn in manila and will be fortunate enough to pass the ielts, nclex etc.
would it be easier to find a job in california? i mean to pass the exam, travel to the us for a vacation at the same time send your resume to various us hospitals and hope for an interview? (not expecting to work right away) i know that they will still have to petition you and go thru the normal immigration process to obtain your permanent residency. then fly back to manila while waiting?
basically does it help to have a us tourist visa?
thanks!

nope. you need a proper paperworks in order to find a job in the u.s. they don't hire people with tourist visa. they will ask you a proof that you are allowed to work in the u.s., such as ssn, a green card, or alien card, and your us r.n. license. if you wish to do that anyways, why not apply online? most hospitals would rather point you to their websites, and apply there, you can send your resume online too. if you know how to cut and paste, try that. save your tourist visa for touring...save your money too, on airfare. i know people have done that from the past, yet they get turned down because of not having proper paperworks. goodluck.

suzanne4, RN · Feb 22, 2007

Agree with above, no reason to travel to the US......and to come to the US with the idea of taking the NCLEX and then looking for a job, it will be 2 1/2 weeks to 3 weeks for you to get results.......long time to stay in the US just waiting.

And with the retrogression right now, you will not find any hospital willing to start the process as they do not know when it will end.

Save your money. And follo what was posted above. You will need that money if you do get a job in the US.

rookieq · Feb 22, 2007

Thank you for the advice RNHawaii and Suzanne.

So that means it is the norm for employers to sponsor employees even without a face to face interview?

lawrence01 · Feb 22, 2007

Thank you for the advice RNHawaii and Suzanne.
So that means it is the norm for employers to sponsor employees even without a face to face interview?

Yes, they usually conduct telephone interviews nowadays.

rookieq · Feb 22, 2007

Thanks Lawrence,

thats good. so i dont have to worry in case my tourist visa is not renewed for some reason.

btw, cute dog, I like daschunds myself....

rookie_rn · Feb 28, 2007

hey there.. this is rookie_rn. i am a Filipino. i just want to share my personal experience. i finished my BSN degree in the Philippines last May 2005. i had a US tourist visa since i was a child because my parents would always take our entire family here for a vacation.

so, after i graduated from college with a BSN degree, i went to the US on a US tourist visa (i did not have a Green Card, Social Security Number, etc.). i applied for the NCLEX-RN. i took it and i passed. then, i looked for an employer (hospitals, nursing homes, etc.) that would sponsor my Green Card. i found one. then, i took the services of a Lawyer (a US immigration specialist as well). all the required documents and paperworks were prepared and taken care of. after 4 months, i received my Employment Authorization Card, Social Security Card, and Green Card (all coming from the USCIS) and i am now working as a Registered Nurse in Santa Clara, CA (i also work at a Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Sunnyvale, CA).

i hope this helps. good luck!

suzanne4, RN · Feb 28, 2007

you did that last year, there is a retrogression in place and not one thing can be submitted to uscis ither than the i-140 and that will not permit anyone to work, nor will it permit them to remain in the us when their visa expires.

this is not a smart thing to do. and is actually illegal. that is why it is even now taking 90 days before any attorney will submit petitions on someone from your country, as many are now getting denied. grounds in a nano-sec0nd for getting denied.

and you did not get your green card in four months. and not all immigration attorneys know the requirements of what is needed to work in the us as an rn.

RNHawaii34 · Feb 28, 2007

and in addition, not every body has the money to spend for tourist visa. and when you get to us, what are you gonna do? bag groceries under the table? will you actually gonna risk deportation for that? your a bsn holder..not everyone can afford to pay immigration lawyer as well, i heard it is really costly, and to apply for a visa screen legally is less expensive than doing it via immigration lawyers. i know some people who did that, eventually they went back home in the philippines to apply for visascreen.i know some will disagree, but it is not worth risking your chance working here.

suzanne4, RN · Mar 1, 2007

it is also extremely difficult now for a nurse to get a tourist visa to the us from pi if they never had one before. and the biggest reason? many that never returned home after coming to the us, whether on a tourist visa, and stayed legally, or that stayed illegally.

there have not been visas available since the retrogression began after october 31, 2006. however, we hear repeatedly about the nurse from there that cam over in october, and then took nclex here in december and they are now working. yes, illegally. and if caught, they will be deported and not permitted to return to the us for ten years. us immigration does not care if they have a car that they bought, or lease that they signed. the issue is that they are working illegally, being paid in cash under the table, do not have a social security number, and many do not even have a nursing license in the us. yet they are working.

not the thing to do.

and it is actually in violation of the us state dept and us immigration law to do that. it does matter what some attorney did to circumvent the rules for you, issue it that the nurse will be the one that suffers. and how do they even show their face when they are forced to return home.

you must be in the us for five months before you can begin work, and that is when visas are available. right now, nothing more than the i-140 can be submitted, so when these nurses call their parents and say "i am working in the us, i have a job." and i want to laugh.

they will be throwing away their career. and if i am not correct on this, take a visit to immigration detention down in san pedro where the cells are over-crowded, and i mean cell. like in jail. but since those that are being deported do not qualify for anything here, no services need to be provided, a bar of soap is all that is given. anything more and it needs to be paid for. and there are many from your country there now waiting to be deported. whether it was from overstaying a visa and being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or getting a dui while holding a green card, the us govt does not care.

cgfns is also investigating those that obtained the visa screen certificate fraudulently and they are deporting those that did. no vsc, and then the green card disappears.

sorry to be sounding so tough, but this is how things are truly are here right now. over 800 people picked up in the bay area over the past two weeks for immigration issues, and the numbers are increasign all over, not decreasing.

it is an honor to be able to live and work in the us, not a right that was automatically given to anyone. you need to follow the rules of the us government if you wish to remain in the us. until you are actually a us citizen, you are fair game for being deported for any reason.

MARI 1 · Mar 1, 2007

hey there.. this is rookie_rn. i am a Filipino. i just want to share my personal experience. i finished my BSN degree in the Philippines last May 2005. i had a US tourist visa since i was a child because my parents would always take our entire family here for a vacation.
so, after i graduated from college with a BSN degree, i went to the US on a US tourist visa (i did not have a Green Card, Social Security Number, etc.). i applied for the NCLEX-RN. i took it and i passed. then, i looked for an employer (hospitals, nursing homes, etc.) that would sponsor my Green Card. i found one. then, i took the services of a Lawyer (a US immigration specialist as well). all the required documents and paperworks were prepared and taken care of. after 4 months, i received my Employment Authorization Card, Social Security Card, and Green Card (all coming from the USCIS) and i am now working as a Registered Nurse in Santa Clara, CA (i also work at a Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Sunnyvale, CA).
i hope this helps. good luck!

Things do change, giving advice on what happened last year prior to retrogression can really hurt someone. I have not seen anyone get their green card in 4 months. Last year there were some people getting them through in 5-7 mos if the attorney had all the paper work done properly.

Always check to find out the current status of things before basing a life changing decision on someone else's experiences. It is better right now with no visas available, not to come to the USA and try to find a job. No one knows which countries will get visas released. You could be just wasting valuable money on a vacation. If you want to come spend time checking out companies that will petition. Check out hospitals that are in the area you want to live in. Use this time to prepare and get all your facts straight.

Coming all the way to the USA, not following the rules will get you into Immigration lock up.... immigration is federal and they have their lock ups close to federal prisions or they are part of the federal prision system. You will not be allowed to get your things to take them home. You will need money in there. You have to have money to make phone calls to people.

You will be put in with people who have not been immunized, that are criminals and more... just think about who you will be locked up with.

I know somone there right now... overstayed a visa.... he woke up to being punched in the face... Please just follow the rules, research where you want to go to and learn about the hospitals in that area. Most of all just practice patience...it might take a few more months but you won't have to look over your shoulder for ever. If they every find out that you lied they can take away the citizenship they give you. It is not worth it.

rookie_rn · Mar 1, 2007

oh that's why.. my case took place in 2005 (before the retrogression). i guess that's why things went smooth for me. i am so sorry. it is not my intention to give out wrong information. i just wanted to share my experience. please accept my sincere apologies.

i guess i was just lucky (i was at the right place at the right time with the right resources).

oh, and by the way, my mother (also a California RN) got her Green Card in 3 months. that was in 2006 (the petition was filed in late April 2006, she received her Green Card in the mail in early August 2006) . she also came here on a US Tourist Visa.

bottom line--- different people have different experiences with regards to US Immigration. so please do not generalize. what happened to us may not necessarily happen to you.

good luck to everyone! i wish you the best in all your endeavors!