Licensure requirements for CA for foreign grad

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I just graduated from a nursing school in the phils. I wasn't able to take the local board bec. my immigrant visa was about to expire.I was lucky that i was able to finish my course there. My question is do you really have to be a local board passer so you will be eligible to take the CA NCLEX here?I mean even as an immigrant?And for all those foreign grads how long did it take for your application for licensure to be processed?:uhoh3: just wondering....

]:welcome:

yes i have to take the CGFNS exam.

what handbook comes with it cos i dont know. are they supposed to send it to me. i wouuld follow your guidelines thank you

Do you need to do CGFNS exam? If you do the only thing really is to study with the handbook that comes with it. For NCLEX I suggest you check out the NCLEX forum found by clicking the student tab. Suzanne offers a programme but you need to complete the first part on your own and follow the thread in the nclex forum.

Have you started your process with the BON for licensure?

Good luck on your move

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
]:welcome:

yes i have to take the CGFNS exam.

what handbook comes with it cos i dont know. are they supposed to send it to me. i wouuld follow your guidelines thank you

This is really a thread for CA but CGFNS will send out the handbook once you pay for exam or so I believe

Good luck

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hi everyone, just got few questions in mind. first, as a first batch of graduates of my nursing school, besides TOR, license/diploma copies, what else should I request at school? second, do the CA BON accept photocopy of the these documents, or have it notarized or certified? thanks!

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
hi everyone, just got few questions in mind. first, as a first batch of graduates of my nursing school, besides TOR, license/diploma copies, what else should I request at school? second, do the CA BON accept photocopy of the these documents, or have it notarized or certified? thanks!

your TOR has to come directly from your nursing school and must have their official stamp, saying that you can collect it from them to post yourself but must be in a sealed envelope with appropriate signatures to ensure no alterations are made. This does not idicate I think you will do it but better to be safe than sorry. I know for the UK my license confirmation had to come direct from the board of nursing because it also had to have their stamp on it

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just new around here... i have finished working on my transcripts and i have yet to pass the local board exams here in my country... should i state in my written explanation that i have not taken the board exams yet ( to save a lot of questions... ) or should i just tell them that i failed twice? ( and be afraid that i wont get an approval)... hehehe im not planning on working as a nurse here in my country and i have decided that ill take the CA route even though i know it takes a whole lot of time.... its just that im a bit stuck and confused on what my next action should be? ... could anyone pls help me pls...

i really dont have plans to work here in my country as a nurse so thats why i was not paying attention too much to my exams.... my bad i know.... i want to start over and get things right this time and now that im 100% sure that CA BON doesnt require the local license here i wanted to pursue my main goal to work in calif as a nurse...

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your TOR has to come directly from your nursing school and must have their official stamp, saying that you can collect it from them to post yourself but must be in a sealed envelope with appropriate signatures to ensure no alterations are made. This does not idicate I think you will do it but better to be safe than sorry. I know for the UK my license confirmation had to come direct from the board of nursing because it also had to have their stamp on it

got it! what if I collected them a year ago but has not been able to mail it by then. would there be a chance that my application will be delayed, worst thing be denied?

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
just new around here... i have finished working on my transcripts and i have yet to pass the local board exams here in my country... should i state in my written explanation that i have not taken the board exams yet ( to save a lot of questions... ) or should i just tell them that i failed twice? ( and be afraid that i wont get an approval)... hehehe im not planning on working as a nurse here in my country and i have decided that ill take the CA route even though i know it takes a whole lot of time.... its just that im a bit stuck and confused on what my next action should be? ... could anyone pls help me pls...

i really dont have plans to work here in my country as a nurse so thats why i was not paying attention too much to my exams.... my bad i know.... i want to start over and get things right this time and now that im 100% sure that CA BON doesnt require the local license here i wanted to pursue my main goal to work in calif as a nurse...

:welcome:

Do not lie on your application, if you have taken local boards and failed then you need to admit to it, retake and pass. As it has been mentioned a few times by Suzanne, Lawrence and myself, would you as an employer want to employ someone who can not pass their own nursing boards. Things may also change and it becomes a requirement to pass local boards. Also if you can't be bothered to sort yourself at home are you sure that you will be able to sort yourself in a new country

Just my thoughts

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hmmm youve got a point there... hmmm ill think about it... decemebr is just a few mos away.... and i dont think ill have enough time to review.... but ill see what i can do.... hmmm what do you suggest i go for? the local boards first or nclex? since im aiming for calif and based on the posts ive read and the application form too a local license is optional... im also pressured by my mom so i have to take a route to the US

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

The fact that you have taken local boards and failed is a factor you have to think about and may mean that CA will want you to pass before they let you take NCLEX. Due to retrogression the US is a long way away I would go the route of taking and passing local boards and then apply to the state you want to work in.

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yeah ill take that route... hmmm beter get a good review center and study harder... hehehe thnx ^_^

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Hello Ms Suzanne4 and Silverdragon and all the other forumers. Again, I would like to thank you for SO PATIENTLY answering all the questions. I know you already know this but you have tremendously helped a lot of people here. I hope you don't get tired of answering all our queries.

Anyway, on to my question. Some things are still unclear to.

1.) I have read in recent posts in this thread that it didn't take them long (6 months or so) to be able to sit for the CA NCLEX. First I planned to apply for Licensure by Examnation to other states and then just endorse to California because it was mentioned that CA is easy to endorse to. But since Ca now purportedly releases eligibility and ATTs sooner, I'm deciding to go ahead and apply for Ca NCLEX. Is CA really not difficult to endorse to?

2.) Say, I pass the NCLEX in Vermont or New Mexico, would it be easy to endorse to California? OR would California still require SSN before I could legally work there (provided that I already have a VisaScreen Certificate which I intend to process after passing the NCLEX in Vermont or New Mexico) ?

Here's how I plan to go about this.

1. Apply and sit for Vermont or New Mexico NCLEX.

2. After passing, pass TOEFL (TOEFL is the one needed in California right? )

3. Simultaneously process my VisaScreen application.

4. After passing the TOEFL, and getting my VisaScreen, endorse to California ( I don't need to be in the States to endorse right? I mean I can all do this back home and then just fly to the US when everything's settled).

Would my plan work? Please enlighten me on this. I know I'm missing something here, most especially the SSN issue.

Thank you very much!

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There are quite a few reasons that I do not recommend CA for initial licensure and will list just a few of them here for you.

1. They will not issue you a license without a SSN#.

2. It will take you a month to find out if you passed the NCLEX exam.

3. Your results will only be valid for three years from the time that you pass. If you do not have a SSN# by then, your application to CA will be destroyed as if it never existed.

You must go thru the immigration process and have a green card in hand before you will be able to work in the US, and you will not get a SSN# until then as it is not needed before then. There is no way around this and it is going to be years before you have a chance at a visa as there are many more applicants than there are visas from your country.

CA will not issue you a permanent license if you do not have a SSN#, they will issue a temporary only on endorsement. But be aware that the temporary license is only valid for 6 months.

CA actually does not have a language requirement if you are not getting an Interim Permit here, and you cannot do that if you have not taken the CGFNS exam, plus the fact that there are no visas available.

You may use either the TOEFL iBT or the IELTS series, would recommend the IELTS to have a better chance of passing the speaking section.

Would recommend that you consider getting experience in another country before you do anything else to have a better chance of getting to the US, but be aware that nothing is guaranteed anymore, even if you pass the NCLEX-RN exam and have an employer that will petition you.

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