For those of you that are studying in the US under either an F-1 visa, or any other where you do not have permission to work, and will need to apply for a green card when you finish your schooling-----this is for you.
You must meet all of the requirements for immigration that a foreign-trained nurse does, the only exception that you have is that the English requirements are waived for you. You still need to submit the application and get a Visa Screen Certificate. This is offered by CGFNS and the application is available on their website, http://www.CGFNS.org. There is only one application available, whether you did your training in the US, or overseas.
You will still need to find an employer that will petition for your green card. You will still need to undergo a physical exam at a physician's office that is approved by USCIS an have verification of all titers and vaccinations. If you do not have verifiable proof of having had chicken pox, etc., you will need to have either a titer drawn, or receive the vaccination. Immigration is very strict now with this, they will no longer go on what you are verbally telling them.
Hope that this helps...............most of you will also be able to get an OPT for one year of training while your documents are being processed, but you can only receive the OPT once, especially if this is now a second career for you, and you already used your OPT status for the other.
If you are coming to the US just for the MSN, and already have a BSN from overseas, you will be required to write the English exams. You are only exempt from them if this is your initial training as a nurse, meaning ADN or BSN only.
Hi, I am an international student and I have scheduled to take my board on 6/21/07. I don't have OPT as I have used it towards my previous degree. I will have to leave US by 7/9/07. My friend told me that nursing homes and rehab facilities are sponsoring nurses. I want to know is that true? And if it is, what kind of visa would that be? And if not, is there no way for me to stay other than a F-1?
Hi, I am an international student and I have scheduled to take my board on 6/21/07. I don't have OPT as I have used it towards my previous degree. I will have to leave US by 7/9/07. My friend told me that nursing homes and rehab facilities are sponsoring nurses. I want to know is that true? And if it is, what kind of visa would that be? And if not, is there no way for me to stay other than a F-1?
Thank you for your help.
There are no visas for you to stay in the US and work as a nurse legally. To attempt to do so is grounds for you to be deported as you will not have the documentation that will legally permit you to work. We are seeing nursing homes raided on a regular basis right now. And if picked up, you are deported for minimum of ten years. Not a good thing.
Sure a place can petition you, but that does not mean that you will be issued any document to legally stay in the US at this time. There is a retrogression in place right now, and all nurses are affected by this. This is something that you should have known about for sometime, not just now.
The only option that you have is the F-1, and continuation on with your studies at this time. And even if you were to get hired by one of these facilities illegally, you will not have a document to permit you to remain in the US. You must have a visa that will permit you to work in the US, and it is impossible to obtain it at this time.
The only thing that can be submitted is the I-140 and that does not give you permission to stay in the US, and it cannot be used to adjust your status at this time. To do anything else, and you are subject to being deported, you will always be looking over your shoulder. If you get stopped in a car, even if not driving, your ID and documents can be checked. On a bus and your ID can be checked for a number of reasons. You have 60 days from the time that you graduated to either be in a program or leave the US. Your visa will expire at that 60 day mark if not enrolled in school.
this needs to be addressed again here now. if you have just graduated from an rn program, and do not have the opt, you may not work in the us in any capacity legally. there are no visas for nurses currently. if you were on the f-1 visa, you only have the option of continuing your studies, nothing else as your visa will expire 60 days after you graduated.
if you are on the h-4 visa, then you can continue to live in the us, but still unable to work.
please do not accept any job as it will be without the proper documentation to work, and can get you deported and not permitted to return to the us for ten years. and this also includes a stay in immigration detention when you are picked up, you do not have a chance to go back to your apt and pack your things, yoy will not be given that chance. does not matter if you have a car, or house, or even children there. the are meaning business, and the immigraiton detention is actually right next to the federal prisons and you will be placed in a cell. do not let any of these "bogus" attorneys tell you that things will be just fine, they will not be.
please be very careful with this, especially since we are under a retrogression at this time.
this needs to be addressed again here now. if you have just graduated from an rn program, and do not have the opt, you may not work in the us in any capacity legally. there are no visas for nurses currently. if you were on the f-1 visa, you only have the option of continuing your studies, nothing else as your visa will expire 60 days after you graduated.
if you are on the h-4 visa, then you can continue to live in the us, but still unable to work.
please do not accept any job as it will be without the proper documentation to work, and can get you deported and not permitted to return to the us for ten years. and this also includes a stay in immigration detention when you are picked up, you do not have a chance to go back to your apt and pack your things, yoy will not be given that chance. does not matter if you have a car, or house, or even children there. the are meaning business, and the immigraiton detention is actually right next to the federal prisons and you will be placed in a cell. do not let any of these "bogus" attorneys tell you that things will be just fine, they will not be.
please be very careful with this, especially since we are under a retrogression at this time.
hi suzanne!
thanks for the cautionary advice i'll keep that in mind. so, here's my current situation. i'm f-1 student nurse pursuing a bsn, and will graduate in a year. i have not done any opts or cpts just yet. i have the intention to explore opportunities, to work as a nurse in us after graduation.
actually, i have big plans for graduate school and want to become an adult np, but before i could get myself into grad school, i need some aid from the government as i do not have sufficient funds to study. as you know, the fafsa is only eligible for us citizens and permanent resident -pr (are green card holders, pr?)
therefore i would have to apply for a green card to be able to pursue graduate studies with financial assistance.
after bsn,i know i will be taking the nclex exam and apply for the visa screen cert. these are some questions i'm not sure about, i know that these questions had been asked for a period of time but i need your clarification on the present situation (year 2007):
1. i wish to apply for opt (1 year of work), as a student graduating in year, let say, i'm graduating in may 2008, when should i apply for opt?
2. within opt period (1 year), what must i do in order to stay in the us to work as a nurse? in one of your past posts from what i'd read, you said that there's no other visas for nurses, so in order for international students to work as registered nurse in us, you will need to petition for green card? is this law still effective up till now?
3. after the 1 year opt session is over, will i not have a chance to work as a nurse anymore if i didnt get anyone (companies, hospitals, etc) to petition me for green card?
4. what else would i know about, any rules & regulations, as a f-1 student right now applying for opt and then green card to work as a nurse here in the us? this question might be beneficial to all if you put it as a statement just like what you did on the top.
you are such a good guidance! thanks for your time suzanne for reading my post.
Once again, I'm greatful for all the help you provided us these years! Keep up the good work!
Following up to my last post on top, wow! Retrogression? That is something new! Sorry, for being outdated. The last time I was here was back in 2005. Guess I was not paying close attention to what is going on the world of immigration.
Do you have any idea where I could get information about to why retrogression happened in the first place? Did you hear any current or recent news about when it will eventually being lifted so that they will issue green cards to foreign nurses? 9suggest a website, etc?)
I'm not sure what will happen in the future but all I know is I'm graduating next year and take the NCLEX and apply for OPT within this year I hope.
And from the posts I'd read thus far, I heard that hospitals, and health institutions in NEW YORK State rarely petition green cards for new grad nurses, is this still true? What actually happened? That means they are not going to hire foreign nurses anymore, even though we are trained in a US program? I'm soon graduating from Decker School, Binghamton, New York and this is really heartbreaking to hear? Would I have to move to another state to get hired and petitioned?
Thanks again for your time, listening is what you always do best!
Nice to see you posting again, it definitely has been some time since you have been around. Nice to have you back here. And to hear that you are doing so well.
To clear up a few things. If you have been a student in a nursing school in NY, and you qualify for the OPT, then you have a chance of getting petitioned there. If you attended school in another country, the only thing that would be available to you if you need petitioning is the nursing home, and I never recommend that.
Retrogressions come and go, just like it did for the PIC countries not that long ago. By the time that you are finished and working, there should be visas. The reason for the retrogression is that that there have been nurses applying for the green card then the number of visas that are actually available. There are already several threads on this forum concerning it, just read those, and then ask questions. You should be applying for the OPT in your last semester thru your school. The only requirement is that it must be done before you actually graduate.
I am a newbie just sign up for the forum. As I went through some of the previous posts, I learned a lot. And now I understand why I got rejected every time I asked hospitals for sponsorship. I should have said petition.
I am a F-1 student who is graduating from a US ADN program in this June and hopefully can take the board in July or August. I have applied for OPT and already received the Employment Authorization card. So I am good until 06/05/08. My plan is to take the NCLEX ASAP and look for a hospital to petition me. But I am very worry because of the retrogression. Can any hospital still petition me if there is retrogression?
My friend told me if I am lucky enough to get a hospital to petition me and my I-140 get approved, I can stay in the US working as I am waiting for the I-485, is it true? And how long will it take nowadays to get the I-140 approved? Can I turn in I-140 and I-485 at the same time?
I am also holding valid US RT license. Will it do any good to speed up my petition process? And should I apply for BSN just to play safe after I use up my OPT?
I know I ask a lot of questions...so many many thanks in advance!
Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
Dear Suzanne,
I am a newbie just sign up for the forum. As I went through some of the previous posts, I learned a lot. And now I understand why I got rejected every time I asked hospitals for sponsorship. I should have said petition.
I am a F-1 student who is graduating from a US ADN program in this June and hopefully can take the board in July or August. I have applied for OPT and already received the Employment Authorization card. So I am good until 06/05/08. My plan is to take the NCLEX ASAP and look for a hospital to petition me. But I am very worry because of the retrogression. Can any hospital still petition me if there is retrogression?
My friend told me if I am lucky enough to get a hospital to petition me and my I-140 get approved, I can stay in the US working as I am waiting for the I-485, is it true? And how long will it take nowadays to get the I-140 approved? Can I turn in I-140 and I-485 at the same time?
I am also holding valid US RT license. Will it do any good to speed up my petition process? And should I apply for BSN just to play safe after I use up my OPT?
I know I ask a lot of questions...so many many thanks in advance!
L.Y.
hospitals can petition you whilst retrogression is in progress but they can only apply for I140 not I485. So therefore if your OPT is up and retrogression is still in progress you can not stay in the US unless you continue with F1. I doubt that your RT will speed your application up
hospitals can petition you whilst retrogression is in progress but they can only apply for I140 not I485. So therefore if your OPT is up and retrogression is still in progress you can not stay in the US unless you continue with F1. I doubt that your RT will speed your application up
Thanks for the reply.
So if I can not get the I-140 approve before I use up the OPT, I need to change to F1. But by the time the I-140 was approved, I am a F1 student, will I be able to go back to work for the hospital that originally apply I-140 for me?
Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
Thanks for the reply.
So if I can not get the I-140 approve before I use up the OPT, I need to change to F1. But by the time the I-140 was approved, I am a F1 student, will I be able to go back to work for the hospital that originally apply I-140 for me?
L.Y.
I140 will go through the process for approval but it isn't that which is the problem, at the moment with retrogression you can file I140 but nothing else and will not give you permission to work
I140 will go through the process for approval but it isn't that which is the problem, at the moment with retrogression you can file I140 but nothing else and will not give you permission to work
That means even my I-140 get approved, but there is retrogression, I can not turn in the I-485, so I can not work. Am I understand it correctly? But isn't that we can turn in applications for I-140 and I-485 at the same time?
See, I get confused with I-140 and I-485, I don't know the retrogression affects the I-140 or I-485. Which will allow me to work in the US legally?
OK, if I get the I-140 approved but still can not file I-485 before OPT end, I need to change to F-1. My question is that if retrogression stops after I change to a F-1, will the I-140 still valid and will I be able to apply for I-485?
mealbee
2 Posts
Hi, I am an international student and I have scheduled to take my board on 6/21/07. I don't have OPT as I have used it towards my previous degree. I will have to leave US by 7/9/07. My friend told me that nursing homes and rehab facilities are sponsoring nurses. I want to know is that true? And if it is, what kind of visa would that be? And if not, is there no way for me to stay other than a F-1?
Thank you for your help.