I will never be a nurse

Nurses Career Support

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Hi everyone. I guess this is just me mourning the loss of what I worked so hard for but was taken away from me. I graduated from nursing school on Dec 2012 with my BSN, magna cum laude. Passed the boards April 2013. It has almost been two years and I have yet to work a day as a nurse. Long story short I am an immigrant. I was brought to America at age 11 and I am now almost 24. I had maintained a visa up until this year it expired. I had to let it expire because there is no way to become a permanent resident. If you have ever dealt with the hurdles of America's immigration system you know what I am taking about. I had seen about 15 immigration attorneys. All said the same thing. They told me to find a husband (sigh). I worked so hard to become an RN. And now my heart is broken going through social media looking at pictures and statuses of people who graduated a year after me and are working while I sit at home. These two years have passed by and I have been suffering from depression. I see a counselor but I do not see how this is helping me. I am crying right now because I was once a sharp nursing student but I cannot remember a single medication or side effect or basic nursing care or even diseases. I have literally forgotten everything. I am just mourning the loss of what would have been a great career. Due to immigration laws I am stuck. At this time last year I still had some hope but now I have come to a realization that it wasn't meant to be. I almost had a job at a hospital in NYC last year but once they found out about my status they refused to hire me. Even if by some miracle I was able to work now, I wouldn't even know where to start. I am no longer marketable and I am an old new grad. I am thinking of throwing my license away. This honestly physically hurts. My counselor tells me I am experiencing loss or stages of grief but I do not think I will ever accept it. It is not fair. I worked so hard. I am almost in my mid 20's and have not had a career.

Sorry for the long post I just really needed to cry my heart out online because no one in my real life cares.

Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Children brought here legally and now out of status, if I recall correctly, eligibility depends on their country of birth/legal citizenship and current status as to whether an exception can be made.

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I think u still have an option to apply for f1 visa then you will be on status as a student. And will b given years to stay legally and within those years I am sure you would b able to figure things out. I know some schools which are not hard on the pocket, offering Masteral programs that are pretty much will work with your schedule, flexible schedule like just once to twice a week. What is important now is first to stay on status.

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Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.
I think u still have an option to apply for f1 visa then you will be on status as a student. And will b given years to stay legally and within those years I am sure you would b able to figure things out. I know some schools which are not hard on the pocket, offering Masteral programs that are pretty much will work with your schedule, flexible schedule like just once to twice a week. What is important now is first to stay on status.

Awesome ideas cherry!

Anne, RNC

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

The only issue with F1 is if you graduated more than a year ago and never started OPT you have likely been out of status over a year. F1 requires full time student status, proof of funds to finance education etc. but a masters degree, depending on the major may make you eligible for a different visa if there is a need for that type of nurse in your area.

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Would you mind sharing with me your immigration situation? I still quite do not understand why you were here legally 12 years ago now you lost your immigrant status? Let me share with you my immigration story. I came here with my family when i was 18 years old by my uncle on my father's side. After 1 weeks of living in the U.S , my green card( permanent resident) sent to my house, then I started going to high school here ( 10th grader). They put me back 2 grades because If I was still in Viet Nam, I would become senior in high school. After finishing high school, I went straight to university for my 2 years of pre- nursing. So I ended up with 3.9/4.0 GPA so i got accepted to nursing school right away ( no waiting time and nothing do deal with my citizenship status). Even though that I was not a U.S citizen at that time but I had no problem of getting a seat in nursing school. I spent my whole summer of volunteering in a veteran home and with a good GPA and a good essay. I got offer a maximum (10k) of scholarship through foundation in my nursing school. And during my first semester in nursing school, I took my U.S citizen test and passed it. ( after living here for 5 years, I am qualified to take this test). Now I am a U.S citizen. I struggled so so so much during nursing school because English is my second language and I am the only two Asians in my cohort ( 70 people) with all blood, tear, and hard-word. I graduated humbly with 3.24/ 4.0 GPA. No honor graduate for me. After graduate from nursing school, I went to work at a counselor for wonderland camp to take care of people with physical and mental disability ( I only get paid like 220/ week, I only can sleep 6 hours a day, and sleep on the hard twin mattress size in camp cabin. HOORAY! but I love every moment of my time spending with those special campers). Working so hard during weekdays in 80-90 degrees outside then going to library all weekends to study for my board. All hard-work is paid off, I passed my board on my first try even though I got to go through 265 questions in 5.5 hours. Thank you Lord. I finished my summer camp job in August 15, 2014 ( Graduated in nursing from May 2014) then going back home in St.Louis for a month to relax and do job hunting. It was awful time, but after 100 applications I got a RN job offer at St.Alexius in Bismarck, North Dakota. I had to go through 45 minutes phone interview for this job ( how stressful for me since English is so clear as second language), but I got a job offer even though I speak with a thick accent and only lived in America for 7 years. Right now I am so nervous for my transition from student nurse to professional nurse and I am carrying a nurse responsibility on my shoulder and language barrier in my head. But I know I am in God's hand.

I hope my story can bring some smiles back on you. Do you want to work in North Dakota? have you check some hospitals there? they are in need of nurses.

Very proud to sign my name as Anna Nguyen, RN, BSN. Nice to meet you all here

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Would you mind sharing with me your immigration situation? I still quite do not understand why you were here legally 12 years ago now you lost your immigrant status? Let me share with you my immigration story. I came here with my family when i was 18 years old by my uncle on my father's side. After 1 weeks of living in the U.S , my green card( permanent resident) sent to my house, then I started going to high school here ( 10th grader). They put me back 2 grades because If I was still in Viet Nam, I would become senior in high school. After finishing high school, I went straight to university for my 2 years of pre- nursing. So I ended up with 3.9/4.0 GPA so i got accepted to nursing school right away ( no waiting time and nothing do deal with my citizenship status). Even though that I was not a U.S citizen at that time but I had no problem of getting a seat in nursing school. I spent my whole summer of volunteering in a veteran home and with a good GPA and a good essay. I got offer a maximum (10k) of scholarship through foundation in my nursing school. And during my first semester in nursing school, I took my U.S citizen test and passed it. ( after living here for 5 years, I am qualified to take this test). Now I am a U.S citizen. I struggled so so so much during nursing school because English is my second language and I am the only two Asians in my cohort ( 70 people) with all blood, tear, and hard-word. I graduated humbly with 3.24/ 4.0 GPA. No honor graduate for me. After graduate from nursing school, I went to work at a counselor for wonderland camp to take care of people with physical and mental disability ( I only get paid like 220/ week, I only can sleep 6 hours a day, and sleep on the hard twin mattress size in camp cabin. HOORAY! but I love every moment of my time spending with those special campers). Working so hard during weekdays in 80-90 degrees outside then going to library all weekends to study for my board. All hard-work is paid off, I passed my board on my first try even though I got to go through 265 questions in 5.5 hours. Thank you Lord. I finished my summer camp job in August 15, 2014 ( Graduated in nursing from May 2014) then going back home in St.Louis for a month to relax and do job hunting. It was awful time, but after 100 applications I got a RN job offer at St.Alexius in Bismarck, North Dakota. I had to go through 45 minutes phone interview for this job ( how stressful for me since English is so clear as second language), but I got a job offer even though I speak with a thick accent and only lived in America for 7 years. Right now I am so nervous for my transition from student nurse to professional nurse and I am carrying a nurse responsibility on my shoulder and language barrier in my head. But I know I am in God's hand.

I hope my story can bring some smiles back on you. Do you want to work in North Dakota? have you check some hospitals there? they are in need of nurses.

Very proud to sign my name as Anna Nguyen, RN, BSN. Nice to meet you all here

Thank you so much for your story. Here is mine: My family moved to the US 12 years ago from Nigeria. We all came here with G-1 visas because my father is a Nigerian diplomat. I started 7th grade here and continued through high school and graduated valedictorian. I then applied to college and decided to pursue nursing as my career. In 2009 my G-1 dependent visa was about tot expire so since I was already in college my father made the decision for me to adjust my status to f-1 internantional student visa. He did this in order to keep me here lawfully. At this point my father had already returned to Nigeria but left me, my mother and my siblings here. According to US law we were supposed to go back but he left us here. Anyway, he would still come to visit the states and helped me file my f-1 status (prove of financial ability) and give me checks for my tuition. I stayed as an f-1 student throughout nursing school even though by no means did I feel like a foreigner. I have grown in the US since the 7th grade and cannot even imagine going back. I have established my life here. I graduated nursing school with magna cum laude and passed my boards with 75 questions first try. I was proud to call myself RN. But this was all almost 2 years ago. I had OPT from the f-1 and no hospital will hire me with it. I even went for an interview at an New York City hospital and they said I was one of the best candidates but they do no sponsor. So I thought sponsorship was the issue and I need a sponsor. Guess what. I found two sponsors. I got employed (and still technically) under two home care agencies on Long Island. They both offered to sponsor me. The problem is when I spoke to an immigration lawyer, in order to get sponsored at a certain point during the process I would have to go to Nigeria (country of origin) to process everything before I return. Now in theory that is supposed to work. But the reality is that is it too risky and I may not return back. Also I did not qualify for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) because I was lawfully present when it passed and only those who were unlawfully present on that day June 2012 could qualify. However I did come here as a child by my father and have never left for 12 years (almost 13). But because I was lawful I did not qualify. Now I here I am. A registered nurse immigrant/wannabe American. This is what the immigration system has done to me. There is no law in the US that permits someone who has been here legally for over 10 years to qualify for permanent residency. That is why there are so many visa overstayers. Such law exists in the UK but not here. I figure why deport me if they allowed people just like me to stay (the only difference is they were more illegal than me). So perhaps I should have been illegal sooner and not switch to the F-1 visa. Suppose I should have let my G-1 expire. Believe it or not if I had done the latter, I would have qualified. There is no focus on legal immigration, just illegal.

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Sorry for the typos :sorry:

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Is the risk too great for you to return to your father Nigeria so you can be sponsored as advised by your attorney rather than risk deportation and subsequent ban from US soil for 10 or more years ?

This is a widely read international forum. You have posted very specific and unique details regarding your situation that can easily identify you. Please take that into consideration.

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Specializes in public health.

that's a sticky situation. You may need to find a husband. How about writing to Obama or your senator? I know it's not the best plan, and probably they are too busy to respond you, but it's worth to give it a try.

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I know what you need to do!! You need a facility or doctors office to "sponser" you and apply for a work visa. It involves a lot of paper work so I suggest reaching out to someone you know who is in the position to be a sponser. Is there a doctor with a private office who is a personal or family friend? Does one of your past professors have a role in a hospital or nursing home? Ask that person. Why so resistant to getting married? If I were you I would legit put an ad on craigslist asking for a husband and work out some kind of deal.

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