Foreign RN Needing Visa

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Hello Nurse Beth,

I'm a graduate of Nursing Batch 2013 here in Philippines. I passed my NCLEX exam last June 25, 2015 so now I'm a registered nurse both here in Philippines and New York. Now what I need to do is take IELTS exam and process my Visa Screen and look for employer from NY, USA.

Although my family lives in New York, sadly I'm not an American citizen, so I'm a foreign nurse applicant. My mother works as a caretaker of one of the doctors in Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx New York and she asked if how can he helped me in applying and he said that he need a resume and a cover letter and he will be the one to pass those requirements in their human resource department but still I kind of worry because I'm not a citizen of their state and I know it will take long for them to process if my application will be considered and the big problem is I don't have working experience and currently looking for a nurse position here in Philippines.

I don't know how New York Hospitals hire nurses, what are their qualifications, standards or requirements for foreign nurses applying a nurse position.

---

Dear RN Needing Visa,

The outlook for foreign trained nurses obtaining occupational (work) visas in the States right now is not good.

You need to find an employer to sponsor you, but employers can only petition on behalf of individuals in specialty occupations requiring a bachelor's degree, which generally does not include bedside nurses.

While most hospitals prefer a bachelor's prepared nurse, it is not an absolute requirement for licensure. (Magnet hospitals are an exception, as they do require bachelor's degree for all their nurses).

In addition, working visas are subject to retrogression, which means a wait of several years.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has already reached the congressionally mandated H-1B cap for 2016.

Consult an immigration attorney as they may be able to inform you of the most recent updates about occupational visas.

Read the International Forum for information and support.

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

[elkpark]

(Magnet hospitals are an exception, as they do require bachelor's degree for all their nurses).

That's not necessarily true; many Magnet status hospitals do not require BSN degrees. Magnet status does not require that hospitals only hire BSN-prepared nurses.

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

That's not necessarily true; many Magnet status hospitals do not require BSN degrees. Magnet status does not require that hospitals only hire BSN-prepared nurses.

I stand corrected by using "all", however, the

American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) position is that Magnet hospitals need to provide an action plan and set target, which demonstrates evidence of progress towards 80% of registered nurses holding a Bachelor's degree buy 2020 (in line with the Institute of Medicine (IOM) landmark report on the future of nursing).

That is why Magnet hospitals generally hire only BSN nurses, and require their non-BSN nurses to obtain their degree.

[dchrisq]

I have a friend who is now an RN in Louisiana. She told me about an agency named AVANT who helped her find a job here in the US. She told me that it only took her 1 year to process everything and with the help of AVANT she was able to get an immigrant visa including her 2 kids. She is also from the Philippines. Maybe you could try to research more about AVANT and ask them if they can help you with your visa. God Bless you