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.
Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
Things are not any easier if the nurse trains in the US, they still need to go thru the same processes for immigration. Not special merit for training in the US. And if you have not graduated yet, it means that your EAD is thru the OPT. That EAD is not renewable, it is different from the one that you get when you go thru Adjustment of Status.
The issue for you is that you have not actually graduated yet, and have not taken and passed the NCLEX exam. That must be done before any attorney can submit any initial petition on your behalf. The I-140 is not under retrogression, but the rest are. There is still no separate category for nurses, all are included with all that under the EB-3 cateogry.
And it also requires a document from your BON, not just seeing your name on their website or getting early results on the Pearson-Vue website. So you are not really going to be able to do anything until Spetember in terms of getting something submitted on your behalf. Not sure what visas will be like at that time. But again, the retrogression for nurses is not over. This is only a small window of opportunity.
Even if you start the process this fall, no saying as to how long that it will take for you to actually get the green card. Will just have to wait and see.
sorry Suzanne
Thought things would be a little easier if trained in the US :chair:
If you trained in the US for all of your nursing training, then you will just need to have the transcripts from your program submitted to ICHP/CGFNS. You only need to pass the NCLEX-RN exam. The English exams have been waived for you as well. Takes about one month to get the VSC once they receive proof from your BON that you passed the exam. The petitioning process can be started without it.
Thought things would be a little easier if trained in the US :chair:
Nothing to be sorry for.:balloons:
The only difference is that those that trained in the US get the English exams waived, otherwise the processing for immigration is the same. Can be easier to get petitioned in terms of finding an employer when they do their OPT, if they can get that. But otherwise the actual procedures are the same, and no special advancement because of training here. All of you are in the same boat, as they say.
Only thing that could be beneficial is that they have been in the US well over the required time needed to have the petitions submitted for the AOS. But then the AOS has been under retrogression since last October, so those that trained here, but did not have a visa that would permit them to work, have not been able to do anything more than getting the I-140 submitted. And many have been unable to do that because many employers have not wanted to start the process when they have had no idea of when things would open up. They still are not really open in my opinion. There are only 140,000 visas that have been recapped for all under the EB-3 category. And with dependents included in that count as well, and you can see my take on it.
Thank you so much for all the information you provide! I just joined today and read a few pages back and it seems that a lot of us in the same boat - retrogression and waiting. I just got accepted into a 2 yr RN program on an H4 visa. This visa allows me to save a great deal on tuition, but it seems that it also limits my options upon graduation. Since I have a little time to plan ahead, is it better/possible for me to switch to F1 in the last semester in order to get OPT? Is there something I should consider doing now to ease my path to green card later? My husband is on H1B and has an option to start a process under his current employer, but it is expensive, lengthy and I'd like to avoid doubling attornney fees if possible. However, I do not want to be left empty handed by avoiding the issue and not playing it safe. I understand much can change in two years, but Please share your insight.
I have a question with regards to the application of student visa. I am a filipina nurse who has been issued a I-20 from a University and i would want to have a continuous education in the states. my concern is will i have a possibility that my student visa application be approved?
taking note of the approval of my university application and having a financial support that would prove that i can manage to study in the u.s., my concern really is that maybe the consulate will assume that i will just work there since i am a BSN grad. what do you think il do? any advices?
Thank you so much for all the information you provide! I just joined today and read a few pages back and it seems that a lot of us in the same boat - retrogression and waiting. I just got accepted into a 2 yr RN program on an H4 visa. This visa allows me to save a great deal on tuition, but it seems that it also limits my options upon graduation. Since I have a little time to plan ahead, is it better/possible for me to switch to F1 in the last semester in order to get OPT? Is there something I should consider doing now to ease my path to green card later? My husband is on H1B and has an option to start a process under his current employer, but it is expensive, lengthy and I'd like to avoid doubling attornney fees if possible. However, I do not want to be left empty handed by avoiding the issue and not playing it safe. I understand much can change in two years, but Please share your insight.
If visas are not available when you finish, then of course, best thing to do is switch to the F-1 to get the OPT. There is not a thing that can make things any different at this point in time. We do not know what will be happening next month, let along two plus years from now.
In normal situation, a nurse can get the green card much faster than someone under the H1-B visa. That is why there is so much going on now for when things are current tomorrow. Many have been in the US for several years waiting. The issue becomes when your husband can at least get the I-485 submitted, and that is why tomorrow is such a big deal. Under the EB-3, the waiting time has been long for most. RNs have been under their own category until earlier this year. If he can get the I-485 submitted while you are in school, then you get the EAD to start work from that as well. And that EAD can be renewed, the one that you get with the OPT cannot be renewed.
I have a question with regards to the application of student visa. I am a filipina nurse who has been issued a I-20 from a University and i would want to have a continuous education in the states. my concern is will i have a possibility that my student visa application be approved?
taking note of the approval of my university application and having a financial support that would prove that i can manage to study in the u.s., my concern really is that maybe the consulate will assume that i will just work there since i am a BSN grad. what do you think il do? any advices?
What type of studying are you going to be doing? That would be my first question. Is it for the MSN, or just a training program that we are seeing pop up? Seeing some that are going thru those training programs get denied, you have a better chance with the MSN program. But it is still up to the US government to make a final determination on this one.
If you are on the F-1 visa, you are not able to work until you can get the CPT and that only permits part-time work in the first place. You cannot work otherwise as there are no visas available right now.
What type of studying are you going to be doing? That would be my first question. Is it for the MSN, or just a training program that we are seeing pop up? Seeing some that are going thru those training programs get denied, you have a better chance with the MSN program. But it is still up to the US government to make a final determination on this one.
If you are on the F-1 visa, you are not able to work until you can get the CPT and that only permits part-time work in the first place. You cannot work otherwise as there are no visas available right now.
the course is Intercultural Studies. It has been my passion to have a continuous education and the approval of my University application is really a great opportunity for me to be equip in an international career.
I am thinking of how will I not let d consul focus of the nursing issue but rather to this educational opportunity.
the course is Intercultural Studies. It has been my passion to have a continuous education and the approval of my University application is really a great opportunity for me to be equip in an international career.
I am thinking of how will I not let d consul focus of the nursing issue but rather to this educational opportunity.
can u give me some advice?
If you will be under that training program, then you will not be able to work as an RN unless you have the green card. The CPT with that training will only give you a job under that area, not in nursing.
So not sure how easy it will be for you to afford your training here, that is something that you need to decide on. But I just want to be up front that you will not be able to work as an RN in that role while you are training for that program without a green card.
If you will be under that training program, then you will not be able to work as an RN unless you have the green card. The CPT with that training will only give you a job under that area, not in nursing.
So not sure how easy it will be for you to afford your training here, that is something that you need to decide on. But I just want to be up front that you will not be able to work as an RN in that role while you are training for that program without a green card.
the i-20 stated that it is a bachelor's degree Intercultural studies/multicultural diversity.(ICS) i understand that i shud be concern about the working issue wen i am already there, but wat im focus on ryt now is what will i tell to the consul,why i wanted to take up ICS the fact that i am a BSN grad...i will soon take care of the issue of working wen i get an approval for my student visa.
actually, wat i really want is simply to teach "nursing or nursing-related" course in my country after i finish my studies and if given a chance,also to other nations. they granted me a 50% scholrship program so i took the opportunity and chose the course ICS.
but as ive said,im concern of how will i not focus my interview with the consul on the Nursing issue..can u give me tips with regards to that pls
Each case is decided on its own merit. And the US Embassy is the one that will make the final determination on this.
50% scholarship, does that include living expenses as well, or just your tuition and books? Do you have the funds to cover the other 50% plus? That is what they are going to be looking at. Since your degree that you will be working on is not directly related to nursing, it is going to be hard for you to work in that area with the CPT, if you qualify for that. And maximum that you can work is just 20 hours per week. Depending on where you will be studying, that may or may not be able to cover your expenses. And also be aware that it will not be working as an RN, but in something related to your field of training. And in most cases, that will be much less than what a nurse is earning in that area.
50% scholarship of international tuition still leaves you with a large sum that you need to show how it will be covered. And they are watching that very closely right now.
All I can say is try and see what they will let you do.
Silverdragon102, BSN
1 Article; 39,477 Posts
sorry Suzanne
Thought things would be a little easier if trained in the US :chair: