Information please : steps for indian nurse coming to america

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Hi everyone. I would sincerely appreciate any information you could provide!

I have a family friend who wants to come to America. He is a nurse in India. He has his B.Sc in Nursing (four year nursing degree, equivalent to a BSN).

What are the steps he should take to coming here? I have very little information so thought I'd come here to figure things out!

I know he would have to take the CGFNS (commision on graduates of foreign nursing schools) test. Would he still have to take the NCLEX? And while perusing the boards this term of "retrogression" keeps coming up. What is that about?

Any information would be greatly appreciated!

thanks!

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Specializes in Addictions, Acute Psychiatry.

get on the lottery; they have entire countries like the Philippines that open nursing programs specifically to export since they produce far more than they need. This creates a backlog but new immigration laws make it more fair so each country has a chance. India and the Philippines have the most exports (India because it's a large country, Philippines because they do it to export staff).

In any case, you know about the exam but there are nurses waiting for years who can't get here now. Having said that, there's a nursing job shortage now in the US so employers are more likely to hire from their home country first. If you're determined to work abroad, Dubai may be a better bet.

If it were me, I'd stay in my country, as that's what you know best.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I will move this to the international forum.

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Basically if they haven't filed a petition for a green card, then they're looking at a wait of at least 5 years at a chance for a visa. If your friend has several years experience as a RN in a specialized area, then the H1b visa might be an option, but given the economy right now, hospitals aren't really going with the H1b visa anymore because they're cutting back on workers. There are only about a handful of hospitals, and their locations are unknown at the moment. Maybe someone who is here on a H1b visa can give some insight. Good Luck

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

merged the 2 threads together for continuity

Starting point would be state BON and meeting their requirements for foreign trained. They may not have to take and pass CGFNS exam as only a handful now require it.

H1b may be hard due to current US job and healthcare situation. Immigrant visa will mean they are affected especially if born in India as the retrogression is longer for them than the rest of the world

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