I am an international student nurse at Baylor University in Texas. I am going to graduate with my BSN in 15 days! I have been looking for and calling every hospital in Dallas, Austin, Temple, Waco, Houston, and San Antonio, but haven't had any luck finding hospitals that will sponsor an H1b-visa that allows me to work. As a student, we get the chance to apply to the OPT (Optional Practical Training), which allows us to work for 1 year, but after that year is over, we need sponsorship of some sort. I have interviewed with many hospitals, and have been offered a couple of jobs, but when I talk with HR about my legal situation they usually tell me: "we can't sponsor you after a year and training new employees takes up a lot of resources, so unfortunately we are not going to be able to give you the job after all". I am desperate and do not know what else to do. I have contacted some agencies, but they haven't helped either since they deal with experienced nurses from other countries. I have no actual experience as an RN (I'm taking my NCLEX after I graduate), but I will do anything to stay in the States. So my question is, does anyone know about any hospitals in the U.S that o sponsor a work visa upfront? In any state??? Or does anyone know about graduate nursing programs that do not require experience as an RN before enrolling?? Thanks!
Here are stories from me and my friends who took the BSN program in USA
1. One of my friend from my school could not find a sponsor during OPT. Went into Mavni /military to get a citizenship status
2. One of my friend from my school ended up getting green card his parents applied like 10 years ago and did not have to go through anything that bad during his OPT
3. I had to leave US because I could not get a sponsor. I immigrated in Canada where I found work, and is able to save enough money to get by. My family all live here now
4. Most of the people who ended up staying in USA did this - get hired during OPT. get sponsored by nursing agencies in New York (many had nursing experiences back home where they worked as a nurse so this could work) and got their immigration. Agencies like this are mostly based in New York. Most other places will not sponsor you for visa
5. The rest all went to become nurse practitioners. I'm not joking. Having a MSN or DNP is one of the best ways for international students to maintain their status and have a successful immigration experience.
Best of luck but unless you consider MAVNI/Grad school chances for your career/immigration options after OPT are very slim...
Hey.. Just wondering, whether or not you were able to get a job or get sponsored. I had that issue back when I graduated in 2007. I personally decided to move back after my OPT period, but I have a few friends (who graduated much later) who went through agency and got sponsored. Let me know if you still need help and I could find out more for you. :)
Hello, it's been a while since this post, but I was wondering if I could get some more insights about this. Personally, I have heard a lot that with a BSN degree, it's a lot easier to get work sponsorship, so it surprised me to see this thread on here. So is the best route is to get an MSN or DNP? Also, what about through EB-3 category?
Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
EB3 is what nurses generally go through and is employer based. If you have a higher education like masters and your job requires masters then I think employer can apply via EB2 or 1.
Thank you for the quick reply! I am a bit confused on the difference between h1-b and eb-3. As an international student studying nursing, can I apply for either one? And according to my research, regular RN doesn't qualify for h1-b because no states require a BSN to be an RN. But RN does qualify for EB-3 , so why is it not discussed as much or do people actually still apply for EB-3, in fact so many that there is a backlog on it? I hope my question makes sense. And I understand that this is not legal advice from you! Just from experience or general knowledge ! THANK YOU!
Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
6 hours ago, Jenny Nguyen said:
Thank you for the quick reply! I am a bit confused on the difference between h1-b and eb-3. As an international student studying nursing, can I apply for either one? And according to my research, regular RN doesn't qualify for h1-b because no states require a BSN to be an RN. But RN does qualify for EB-3 , so why is it not discussed as much or do people actually still apply for EB-3, in fact so many that there is a backlog on it? I hope my question makes sense. And I understand that this is not legal advice from you! Just from experience or general knowledge ! THANK YOU!
You cannot apply for either H1b or EB as they are employer based.
If the nurse is a BSN and the employer really wants you they could apply for H1b but it is a lottery and unless employer is exempt they cannot apply until April and if successful you don’t start working until the October after.
EB is a better category as that is an immigrant visa and depending on where you was born will depend on how quick you go through the process.
dayandnight
330 Posts
Here are stories from me and my friends who took the BSN program in USA
1. One of my friend from my school could not find a sponsor during OPT. Went into Mavni /military to get a citizenship status
2. One of my friend from my school ended up getting green card his parents applied like 10 years ago and did not have to go through anything that bad during his OPT
3. I had to leave US because I could not get a sponsor. I immigrated in Canada where I found work, and is able to save enough money to get by. My family all live here now
4. Most of the people who ended up staying in USA did this - get hired during OPT. get sponsored by nursing agencies in New York (many had nursing experiences back home where they worked as a nurse so this could work) and got their immigration. Agencies like this are mostly based in New York. Most other places will not sponsor you for visa
5. The rest all went to become nurse practitioners. I'm not joking. Having a MSN or DNP is one of the best ways for international students to maintain their status and have a successful immigration experience.
Best of luck but unless you consider MAVNI/Grad school chances for your career/immigration options after OPT are very slim...