Nurse Practioner on H4

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Hi all

I am a RN from India.i will be leaving to US in June on H4 visa.I passed NCLEX-RN in oct 2006 and also have a approved I140 with PD march 2007. As its going to be a long wait for my pd to become current at this rate, i thought of doing NP in any of the universities in US and then try for a H1B or port to EB2 and try. I have an active license with New Mexico board of nursing, I read in one of the forums that its not possible to transfer the license to other states without SSN. Is this information right? What can i do to get into NP program.I thought of doing Family nurse practitioner program. is it possible to find H1b sponsor after doing NP ? or hypothetically if my PD is current after i finish NP, Is it possible to file in EB2 category.As i dint have any US plans until 3 months ago i am not aware of current nursing situation in US. kindly advice me on how to go ahead with my career.

Thanks in advance

Anna

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

You need to check the state to whether they will endorse without a US SSN

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Thank you..

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.

A lot of things to ponder on...

What US state are you and your spouse going to? that would determine whether you can endorse the NM license. Like SD above said, you are ineligible for a US SSN with an H4 Visa. Some F1 Visas are also ineligible.

How are you going to pay for graduate school education? You are ineligible for a lot of public funding that legal residents and US citizens can avail of, you are ineligible for in-state tuition in public universities, and the immigration service will probably ask for proof of financial stability/assets prior to approving your F1 Visa.

Nurse Practitioners qualify for H1B and EB2 Visas if you have an offer of employment. However, EB2 allocations are country-dependent with China and India typically frozen.

The availability of NP jobs are location-dependent. The hardest part can be finding a job as an inexperienced NP (new grad). Many new NP candidates have better luck if they are willing to move. Some successful new grad NP's found jobs because they have already established relationships with potential employers prior to starting grad school (i.e., worked as an RN where they got the NP job, knew physicians who were hiring). Your circumstances may not give you that edge. Take a long hard look at the financial investment and time you will be devoting to such an endeavor and the odds of seeing success in the end in terms of getting a job offer and a visa that will allow you to work.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Current processing times for India and EB2 is 2004 so still a long wait

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Thank you for all your input juan de la cruz..My husband has applied for Internal Medicine Residency in US this year. His top choices are programs in Arkansas, Michigan and Philadelphia. so we will be most probably in one of these states. we thought of showing my husband`s salary documents and our bank account statements as proof of fund. How much will be required to show in the initial year?As u said lack of contacts will be problem for me to find a job. i was thinking of working in some place in OPT will help me find an employer.As u suggested its all going to be a total waste of money and effort if i fail to find an employer. Some of my friends have done masters in nursing education. will that be a good option for me? i dont know what i can do for so many years till my husband finishes residency and fellowship...thank u again

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At least you know the possible states that your husband plans to be in are a known factor versus hopping all over the other 47 states.

I would start to focus at the nursing endorsement requirements for just those three states, as given that your nursing education is from outside of the US and each state has different educational requirements, some have may even have restrictions to use the license if some many years have passed without any paid nursing experience without having to re-take a refresher course or courses.

You need to make sure that you can endorse that license into a state that doesn't require a SS# along with the above requirements.

With regards to your friends that have "made it", was this more recent in the past year? As times have changed a lot and hospital sponsorships today are like finding a gold nugget in the creek, it's there but very hard to find.

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.
We thought of showing my husband`s salary documents and our bank account statements as proof of fund. How much will be required to show in the initial year?

That's pretty much what the immigration service wants to see. The salary of the person supporting your education (your husband's salary could be used), and your assets such as joint bank statements if you have one. I don't think there is an arbitrary amount because you have to be admitted to a program first. The cost of the program and the price of living in the city you decide to live in would likely determine an amount sufficient enough for the immigration agent to be convinced that you can afford studying here.

As u said lack of contacts will be problem for me to find a job. i was thinking of working in some place in OPT will help me find an employer.As u suggested its all going to be a total waste of money and effort if i fail to find an employer.

In theory, that's how OPT works. It's hard to predict the ease of finding that job 2 or 3 years from now. Currently, some new NP's are having a tough time finding jobs. But like I said, some who are flexible about moving to where the jobs are tend to have more success.

You may be able to establish connections with your husband being a physician. Again, that's all conjecture. Holding on to hope for future possibilities is not a bad thing. However, when you have to add the fact that you need an H1B Visa to work, it just adds another layer of difficulty other new NP's would not have to face.

Some of my friends have done masters in nursing education. will that be a good option for me?

Where do they work? I'm not sure what your nursing experience has been. Typically, teaching nursing students in any institution from community college to university require experience at the bedside. You can't teach someone anything you haven't done yourself. Same is true in working as a nursing staff educator at a hospital or any other facility.

The nurse practitioner role is different in the sense that although some NP's were once nurses who worked at the bedside for years, starting out as a nurse practitioner requires a whole new set of skills bedside nurses do not perform - that of being a healthcare provider. However, experience does make that transition easier for many.

Further read if you haven't already seen it: Student Visa

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Dear juan de la cruz

Thank you for your detailed reply... I have 5 years of experience, 2 years in teaching and 3 years in bed side.Your advices are a great help in planning my further studies in US. I really wish i could practice nursing than sitting at home whole day :(

Thanks again

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Specializes in CTICU.

She doesn't need an F1 visa if she has a valid H4 visa-you're allowed to study on an H4.

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.

You're right. It's not required to convert from H4 to F1. Only time it's recommended is if one wants to take advantage of OPT.

And apparently, I'm going to correct my previous post, there are state schools that would assess H4 students in-state tuition if the spouse and student can show proof of state residence for over a year.

Sounds like a viable plan.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses

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hi anna i too an an indian nurse planning to go to us on student visa mainly for np pgm can i know where r u from

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