How can my niece apply for visa screen?

Silverdragon102, BSN · Dec 31, 2009

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My niece from Baguio City, Philippines had passed CGFNS and English language test.
Can anyone please tell me how she can apply for visa screen? Is retrogression will affect her at this time?
I am RN myself but I work in the government. I don't know any hospitals that can sponsor any foreign nurses.
Please give me some feedback.
Thanks you very much.May you have prosperous new year all of you nurses members for this site.

Yes your niece will be affected by retrogression if applying for immigrant visa and if hasn't already done so would suggest she sorts out a state application and sits NCLEX, she has a long wait currently ahead of her. If she is experienced and can apply find a employer for a H1b she may get one but with the current US job situation and current changes going on within the health care she may find it hard.

if she is applying for immigrant visa then I would hold off on vsc until she has employer and her I140 date is getting close as VSC are only valid for 5 years and some are getting ready to getting another one issued due to retrogression

pill2008 · Jan 1, 2010

Hello! Silverdragon102,

I appreciate your feedback. I don't have no idea what is going on. If retrogression is still in effect. They should not allow anybody who is applying for CGFNS, NCLEX and English test until retrogression will be lift up. Did they not know that these nurses from the Philippines have to borrow money with 10% to 5 % interest per month just to take these test which cost a lot of money converted from peso to a dollar? Many families starve just to let their daughters and sons take these exams not counting the 30 thousand pesos per semister( 8 semisters) to finish BSN aside from the one year pre-requisite. So 5 years total of schooling just to finish nursing course alone? In the Philippines there is no such thing as student loans or if you have academic scholarship . Schools do not accept any scholarship for nursing degree. I knew this is money making business but my Lord God, how can anybody just close their eye and let the families starve to death because of these NCLEX, CGFNS and Toefel fees which is more than their life time savings. I can't imagine how they sleep at night knowing these people are waiting for nothing. It is very sad... As a

nurse this is one of the cause of stress for applicants, as well as their parents.I knew a lot that have died due to financial burden from parents who want their kids to have good future here in America. Pilipino loves America so much. :saint: this is the land for every nation. No matter if you were born here or not your great grand parents migrated here long time ago. I think we have the right to come in the right way. We are not coming here to create trouble but help other people who are sick. I have been working as a Case Manager for Breast and Cervical Cancer Program which I devoted my time helping the uninsured women who are 50 to 64 years old of any color. I go out of my way rain or shine, sometimes my tires blows, and I was chased by dogs. Since I can't contact the clients to make them go for their mammogram and pap smear screenings. I just want to do my job good. I may not save the life of everyone but if I can save one or two my mission is accomplished.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Jan 1, 2010

Many countries have a limit on how many they will allow to come in and work after all they still have to look after their own citizens. No one is forcing anyone to sit CGFNS or NCLEX exam and other countries are an option. What we do see and hear is people abusing the system which makes it a lot harder for those that really want to do things properly. We see many threads of US nurses struggling to find work especially as a new grad so a bit hard to understand why nurses from outside the US be offered work.

Yes retrogression is hard but people then can look at other countries, I did and now love Canada and have no wish to move to the US anymore. If your end goal is the US and you know there is a long wait then gaining experience, even if this means moving to another country (cos I know how hard it is in the Philippines to gain nurse experience) then I would say this is good and will benefit everyone. People should only train as a nurse if that is something they really want to do, not use it as a means to move to another country because being a nurse makes it a bit easier, patients deserve something better and with determination and patience and being aware what is currently happening in the country of choice ie jobs and immigration issues like retrogressing, things are possible

NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN · Jan 1, 2010

Hello! Silverdragon102,
I appreciate your feedback. I don't have no idea what is going on. If retrogression is still in effect. They should not allow anybody who is applying for CGFNS, NCLEX and English test until retrogression will be lift up. Did they not know that these nurses from the Philippines have to borrow money with 10% to 5 % interest per month just to take these test which cost a lot of money converted from peso to a dollar? Many families starve just to let their daughters and sons take these exams not counting the 30 thousand pesos per semister( 8 semisters) to finish BSN aside from the one year pre-requisite. So 5 years total of schooling just to finish nursing course alone? In the Philippines there is no such thing as student loans or if you have academic scholarship . Schools do not accept any scholarship for nursing degree. I knew this is money making business but my Lord God, how can anybody just close their eye and let the families starve to death because of these NCLEX, CGFNS and Toefel fees which is more than their life time savings. I can't imagine how they sleep at night knowing these people are waiting for nothing. It is very sad... As a
nurse this is one of the cause of stress for applicants, as well as their parents.I knew a lot that have died due to financial burden from parents who want their kids to have good future here in America. Pilipino loves America so much. this is the land for every nation. No matter if you were born here or not your great grand parents migrated here long time ago. I think we have the right to come in the right way. We are not coming here to create trouble but help other people who are sick. I have been working as a Case Manager for Breast and Cervical Cancer Program which I devoted my time helping the uninsured women who are 50 to 64 years old of any color. I go out of my way rain or shine, sometimes my tires blows, and I was chased by dogs. Since I can't contact the clients to make them go for their mammogram and pap smear screenings. I just want to do my job good. I may not save the life of everyone but if I can save one or two my mission is accomplished.

It doesn't look like retrogression will be lifted as long as you have a swarm of people from all countries wishing to enter the US. After thinking about it, I don't really think it's the BRN, accrediting agencies, education evaluators etc responsibility to let nurses know about retrogression and how long they're going to wait. Do they even care? Most likely not, they just want to take your money, that's what is about living in a capitalistic country. People want to live in a capitalistic country and this is just a taste of what really goes on here. Just as in the Philippines they allow everyone and anyone who can pay their tuition enter nursing school and graduate.

The US doesn't have control over what interest rates people are paying to borrow money to pay for these exams. Nobody told these people to borrow the money, they did it on their own free will. Please don't blame the US (the agencies you're speaking of) if people are borrowing money they can't afford to pay back to pay for fees. There are many people in the Philippines who enter nursing school because they think it's their ticket to the US. Some people have no plans on staying in the Philippines to work, they think they can just up and move to the US once they finish their education and think that they can work as a RN and that somebody is willing to sponsor them. In reality the US is suffering through a bad economy and there's no need to import when our own graduates can't seem to find a job. Nurses are getting laid off faster than you can imagine. The Filipinos aren't the only ones suffering, the Americans are also suffering as they can't find a job, they still have to pay back loans that took out for their education. So everyone all around is suffering. But nobody cares, they just want to take the money. Sad, oh yes!

Just an FYI, nobody has the right to enter the US (right way or not) it's a priviledge to enter the US, and if anybody abuses that priviledge the US has the right to take action. There has to be some sort of control over the borders, and the US has the right to only allow certain amout of visas per year. The US can't take everyone in to solve their financial problems. There are other countries out there besides the US, as one stated, they're perfectly happy where they are at and decided not to come to the US after all. If someone wants to move to a country where there is less government corruption try New Zealand.

You seem like you're in nursing because it's your passion. Whether you think so or not, you are still saving lives. You're doing all you can do as a nurse and you're a prime example of someone who should be a nurse. You want to help people and as you said if you can just save one or two lives, then mission accomplished.

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Jan 1, 2010

To pill2008

I found your post depressing, how can you get the word to your homeland for parents to save their money ? The Philippines should regulate businesses that promise nurses a job in the USA. The marketing I have seen and heard that occurs in places like Manila reminds me of the hard sell Americans get for get rich schemes, is there any consumer protection agencies to assist people like your niece ?

American Boards of Nursing are now underfunded due to budget cuts, educating foreign nurses is not part of their mission.

Glad to hear you are professional and take great care of your patients. Sounds like you are a great nurse.

NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN · Jan 1, 2010

Sometimes it's hard to save money when you barely have any to save. Some people are living from paycheck to paycheck as they are also doing here.

I agree there should be some sort of regulations there in the Philippines. I read somewhere on this board that there was one class that graduted 500 students and only 20 of them passed their local boards. That's just one class, not for the whole year in the school. Here you might have less than 100 graduating from one school for the whole year. But 500 students for one class that's way too much and it has to do with nursing schools admitting anybody and everybody who can pay the tuition just to make money. They know the situation in the US and that their chances at coming over here soon after gradution are slim to none unless they have a visa waiting for them. If the Philippines would regulate their nursing schools and close down the ones that are underperforming, and also the LVN schools that graduate nurses that can't even find employment in the Philippines. That would eliminate part of the problem and also reduce the numbers of unemployed nurses. Those that made promises to them that they would be able to come to the US and work should be punished. It's the governments responsibility to take care of their citizens and stop relying on the US to employ their people.

Fiona59 · Jan 1, 2010

I wouldn't suggest Canada right now either. Our own new grads can't find work. Nurses educated here are moving across the country to find work. Our new grads are also in debt for their education and paying interest on their loans. Unfortunately in their ranks are also grads who thought nursing was a guaranteed job with a good income. Despite paying for and writing their exams and then paying for their registration permits they are in the same boat. Competing with nurses with experience for the same jobs.

pill2008 · Jan 1, 2010

Hello! Everyone,

Thank you your feedback and thanks for having this site for us to learn what is going on in nursing communities. First of all I blamed the managment of the CGFNS or NCLEX they are no different than the Philippine schools of nursing.It's just money making machine business not considering what other families are going through. I migrated here 28 years ago because my husband is from here. I have not petition one of my family members to come here to be dependant on our system or other people. Not everybody have the same intentions to come here, bring their family members to suck the system specially when they are old. I work for Medicaid claims and I hate to say that millions or billions of our tax dollars are being spent for alien claims alone. My niece applied because the door is open, if the door is close she would not bother.She is just trying to take that opportunity just like verybody else but if retrogression still in effect, then her effort, time and most of all her money are useless. It's just a waste of time and she did passed them all.

Once again I appreciate all your time and effort to share with me what is in your mind.whether it is positive or negative, I learned from all of them.

pill2008 · Jan 1, 2010

I am not blaming the US but I blamed the managment of CFGNS & NCLEX because this is a money making business exactly like the Philippines, not considering what their families are going through. I am here for almost 28 years but I never petition any family members to come here to suck our system. I work with Medicaid claims and I hate to say that millions of dollars are being spent from our tax dollars for alien claims alone ( such as E.R. surgeries and other services). My family work hard for their own living and never want to be parasites from others or the system. That's the reason why non of my family never come here not even for a visit. We go there to visit them once in a while. So please don't generalize everybody. Some might have one intention to move here and bring their families but others just want to work somewhere else if the doors are open to pay their debts. They are not stupid to apply if they close the door.

Anyway I appreciate all your feedback.

Happy New Year.

Fiona59 · Jan 1, 2010

I'm afraid the only generalizations I've seen are in the OPs posts.

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Jan 1, 2010

As former nurses from the Philippines who have established ourselves in the US for a long time now, I think we have a responsibility to educate our extended families in the Philippines about what is going on in the United States. Many of our relatives in the Philippines look at us as success stories and many parents there who know about how we made our journey to the US continue to wish for their children to have a similar future. But things change, resources are never unlimited anywhere, and countries such as the US go through cyclical economic bumps. This is plainly not a good time to come to the US from the Philippines for the simple reason that there very few jobs available even for nurses who are already in the US. We should let our families in the Philippines know this fact and not give them false hopes. It was different five years ago when retrogression was new. But it's been many years since the last wave of nurses with immigrant visas arrived. By now, things are not looking so good. The message should be clear - there is no chance for a nurse in the Philippines in getting a visa as an immigrant in the immediate future.

Blaming CGFNS or the NCSBN who created the NCLEX-RN exam is futile. These exams need to continue. There are many nurses foreign or not who have different circumstances and still need to take these exams. The NCLEX-RN is the exam for all Regsistered Nurses foreign or not. And in some states that still require the CGFNS, there are foreign trained nurses who do not need a visa to work in the US but are still required to take the test. These organizations will not put a disclaimer specifically for foreign nurses in their websites or application forms. It is our own responsibility to be informed and to know what is going on.