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Discussion

NCLEX CA Application, help!

hi everyone, i'm a newbie. :p i'm an RN, recently reviewing for ielts, scheduled on march. i have a tourist visa. i am planning to apply for NCLEX in Cali. Have printed the application form already. then what? hehe,, i am totally clueless.

what about fingerprint cards? how about the payment?

what i know about the application process is by:

1. send the application forms & other required papers to the BON.

2. then wait for the ATT card.

3. After receiving the ATT, register at PearsonVue online.

4. Schedule on a preferred date & venue.

am i correct? i need further detailed instructions. i plan to take nclex in hongkong.

any help, advise would be very much appreciated, i would be very grateful.

thank you!

Featured Replies

  • Experts

Sorry, but wrong.

I do not suggest going for initial licensure in CA, especially if you are from out of the country. So, just remember proceed at your own risk.

It takes four to six months after you apply to the CA BRN before you will get a letter that your credentials have been accepted. They do their own review. That is when you register with Pearson-Vue and pay the fee. You can't register or schedule an exam before that time. Your ATT will arrive once you pay the fee for the exam, and CA has also notified Pearson-Vue that you have been approved to sit for the exam.

I am going to take the liberty of moving your thread over to the International Forum where it is more appropriate. International nurses have other requirements that need to be dealt with first. There are many stickies there that will be beneficial to you. I suggest that you read them first, before you submit to BRN.

Just so that you are aware, CA will not give you a license until you have a SSN#, which also means that you will not see your name posted, but will need to wait three to four weeks for your results by snail mail. You also need to get a Visa Screen Certificate. The tourist visa doesn't make any difference whatsoever in getting these things done.

If you really don't have plans to work and live in CA don't apply to it for reasons Suzanne just said above and have been saying.

Don't believe those who kept saying that you can easily be licensed to other states because CA has reciprocity, or something. It ain't true; they won't even give you a license # w/o a SSN just a letter saying you passed the NCLEX.

You'll find out by reading more threads and posts here that if you're a foreign RN and want to get endorsed right away you won't be able to do that with CA and you will still go through whatever requirements and pay the fee your intended state BON wants, esp. if one of the requirements is a service from CGFNS. It is as if you're applying again for initial licensure for that State. You won't be saving any time and would actually be delaying yourself and just went on a merry-go round. Very expensive too if you're financing it by yourself.

Just weigh the pros and cons first before doing anything. Read more on this forum and ask around for their own experiences.

  • Author

hi suzanne, i'm really sorry for the multiple posts. Just wasn't sure where to start so i posted at philippine thread as well. i really apologize.

i really love this forum because of the info i've been learning. thank you for having me as a member.

god bless and take care suzanne, thank you again

debbie

  • Author

hi suzanne, lawrence, i really really appreciate your replies. thank you.

i really have no choice but to take the Cali exam because i plan to work and live there and some of my relatives are there as well. i'm really sorry but i have to apply for the Cali nclex. i hope you'd understand.

i have read the instructions in first thread of international forum. my plan is like this: after taking the nclex & hoping that i'd pass, an employer from the US will sponsor me for my papers. that is what my relatives have been telling me. they told me that once i have succeeded in taking the nclex, it would be easy because there are employers that would sponsor me. is this true?

what is the purpose of visa screen certificate?

how come that in CA, you will not be endorsed?

thank you so much for the replies, really appreciate them.

  • Experts
hi suzanne, lawrence, i really really appreciate your replies. thank you.

i really have no choice but to take the Cali exam because i plan to work and live there and some of my relatives are there as well. i'm really sorry but i have to apply for the Cali nclex. i hope you'd understand.

i have read the instructions in first thread of international forum. my plan is like this: after taking the nclex & hoping that i'd pass, an employer from the US will sponsor me for my papers. that is what my relatives have been telling me. they told me that once i have succeeded in taking the nclex, it would be easy because there are employers that would sponsor me. is this true?

what is the purpose of visa screen certificate?

how come that in CA, you will not be endorsed?

thank you so much for the replies, really appreciate them.

You are still missing our point, you do not need to go for initial licensure in CA. You can get endorsed from CA, but only after you have a SSN#, and you cannot get that until after you have gone thru the immigration process.

It will also take you close to one month to find out your results. It also takes the longest to get approval from CA to sit for the NCLEX exam.

The Visa Screen Certificate is required by immigration for the green card, and that is the only way that you can legally work in the US.

You can easily endorse to CA from any other state, since you have a four year degree. We are just telling you not to go the route of CA, even if that is where you are going to work. But it is your choice.

  • Author

hi suzanne, thank you so much for the very fast reply. i'm sorry if i keep missing your point. i am aware that the Cali nclex would take 6-8 months, and i am willing to wait. I would get an SSN if I am sponsored by an employer, am i right? So, there would be no problem if I have an employer regarding SSN?

i have read the thread about VSC, and have known that I must apply for it asap. and that it is a requirement for my visa to be in immigrant/occupational visa. am i right? and it would take around 4 mos. after the nclex results are in.

thank you for your guidance. it is really of great help.

take care suzanne

  • Experts

Things can change for you in the future, and what if you decide that you wish to work in a nother state and not CA at the last moment? Then you will have major issues. You also have to wait about oine month for your results.

You came here and asked for our opinion. We are saying don't go that route, it is your choice as to how to proceed. Not sure what else that you want me to tell you. Sorry, if I am sounding rude, but read the other posts here, and they will all tell you the same thing.

There is no one that recommends CA for initial licensure for a foreign grad that doesn't have a SSN#. Simple as that.

  • Author

suzanne i'm sorry if you are annoyed by me, and i really appreciate all your advises.

i would like to know what are the pros and cons of CA nclex as compared to NY nclex? is it only because of the time frame? how about SSN when i choose NY?

  • Author

lawrence clarified to me that in NY, you will be given a license no. even without an SSN, unlike in CA that an SSN is required. now i know. but if my immigration papers are being worked out by an employer & get approved, would I automatically have my own SSN? or would i have to wait about 2 years to have an SSN?

suzanne, i'm sorry if i have offended you, i am very very grateful of your advises & info.

hope to hear from you.

  • Experts
suzanne i'm sorry if you are annoyed by me, and i really appreciate all your advises.

i would like to know what are the pros and cons of CA nclex as compared to NY nclex? is it only because of the time frame? how about SSN when i choose NY?

You will not get a SSN# until immigration procedures are completed and you have arrived in the US. What happens one year from now if you meet someone and decide to move to another state? You will have major headaches. We are trying to tell you to go the route that will be the easiest for you. You also need to get a Visa Screen Certificate, the same documents that are used for NY can be used for that, you only need to sumbit that application.

Please take the time to read the stickies at the top of this forum and you will understand what we are talking about. That is what they are there for. All of your questions will be answered.

  • Author

suzanne, thank you for the prompt reply.

i have a hypothetical question, IF i get an SSN in CA, would i need to wait for 2 years of working experience before I can be endorsed to other state? is that why the CA license can be a headache if i decide to move to another state after a short span of time?

have been reading the threads & am not leaving the computer, skipped lunch even. hehe. love this forum.

thanks suzanne.

  • Author

hi suzanne

i have questions with regard to endorsement. if i choose to take the NY nclex & if i pass the exam, then i would endorse for CA. what if my petitioner is in CA? will they process my immigration papers if i am licensed in NY? or have it endorsed first before they process my immigration visa?

can someone process my endorsement, or do i need to process it personally in NY? and how long will the endorsement take from NY to CA?

thank you so much suzanne. you're an angel.

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