Need advice about taking California board exam while being a dual citizen

Silverdragon102, BSN · Sep 11, 2008

Welcome to the site

I have moved this to the International forum and suggest you start by reading the sticky called Primer to working in the USA. If you are a Canadian citizen then you have the opportunity of using the NAFTA (TN) but will need employer, VSC and passed NCLEX. You need to meet Ca BRN requirements and have a local license which means you will have to sit local boards in the Philippines. http://www.rn.ca.gov/

cjoy3 · Sep 11, 2008

Oh thanks for that info I will check on it... but I'm really hoping not to do the phlippines local board exam... :uhoh21:

Silverdragon102, BSN · Sep 11, 2008

Oh thanks for that info I will check on it... but I'm really hoping not to do the phlippines local board exam... :uhoh21:

Sorry but for California you now have to have a local license, they are getting very strict on it

cjoy3 · Sep 11, 2008

ok... after the first step to take the local boards... um.... what's next hehehe....

NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN · Sep 11, 2008

You have dual citizenship for the Philippines & Canada, why do you wish to come to the US? I understand why you wouldn't want to work in the Philippines because there are no jobs. But Canada, why wouldn't you want to work in Canada?

cjoy3 · Sep 12, 2008

oh that's because the Canadian nursing board are very strict, they prefer canadian student nurses (with canadian knowledge and know how... rather than the foreign student nurses) they will make me repeat nursing or do a refresher course if I plan to go straight from Philippines to Canada. so I was hoping to get "credentials" at the states so it will be a smooth transition to Canada.

Also I already have relatives in USA that can't wait to put me in their payroll. :chuckle

Silverdragon102, BSN · Sep 12, 2008

oh that's because the Canadian nursing board are very strict, they prefer canadian student nurses (with canadian knowledge and know how... rather than the foreign student nurses) they will make me repeat nursing or do a refresher course if I plan to go straight from Philippines to Canada. so I was hoping to get "credentials" at the states so it will be a smooth transition to Canada.
Also I already have relatives in USA that can't wait to put me in their payroll. :chuckle

Even if you work in the US you will still have to meet Canadian province requirements and still declare your Philippine transcripts.

suzanne4, RN · Sep 13, 2008

You are going to need to write the NLE, whether you wish to work in Canada or California. Both have requirements of the local license. And there is no way around that.

Best of luck to you.

cjoy3 · Sep 14, 2008

so local boards then NCLEX (both can be done in philippines right) then..... do I have apply to USA as a worker (and which is better to use as a citizen of canada or phlippines? um... maybe philippines cuz that's where I graduated right?)

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Sep 14, 2008

even if you pass the nclex, since you are coming to the us as a canadian citizen, many us state bon requires a local license, which would be a canadian license.

http://www.rn.ca.gov/applicants/lic-end.shtml

also you need to have work experience in most states to get a position.

i think you need to go home to canada and get a nursing license there and then get some nursing experience before you come to the usa.

if you don't want to go the easy way to get in the usa, you need to apply for a green card, and with retogression that is a 5 year wait.

suzanne4, RN · Sep 14, 2008

You may use either the Canadian exam or the NLE as far as being a local license since you attended school in the Philippines; it is not required that it is from Canada.

If you use the Canadian citizenship, then you qualify for the NAFTA TN Visa, provided that you actually hold a Canadian passport. Otherwise to go for the green card as being a citizen of the Philippines, you are going to be looking at five years plus for a chance at a green card.

Your choice as to which route to take. But you are going to need to have a license from another country first before CA will even consider you and take and pass the English exams since you attended school in the Philippines for nursing as well as get the VSC. They determine the need for the English exams based on where you attended nursing school, not on where you are a citizen of.

Best of luck to you.