Passed NCLEX, Whats Next? Maybe No OPT

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Aug 21, 2008

Read the posts, there are plenty of them, OPT is a one time deal. With retrogression you will have to go back to your home country. I would try to practice nursing and return for a BSN since that is the only level used for immigration. According the the expert here, Suzanne, no preference is given to nurses trained in the US. Sorry, I know that is not what you wanted to hear. Your school should have informed you.

suzanne4, RN · Aug 21, 2008

If you used the OPT for the Bachelor's degree, then you will not be able to get one now. You can only get it if you go on for a more advanced degree, not one that is of lesser time such as the ADN. You would have needed to have gone for the Master's to be able to use it. Even for a second Bachelor's degree, it would not be approved.

Not sure why your international advisor did not tell you of this beforehand. It is a well known fact.

But you are in a real pickle at this time as you have only 60 days after the last day of class to remain in the US with your student visa. They do not care anything about the time that it took to get approval to sit for the exam, or that you passed it. The requirements that are given with immigration are that you have 60 days after the last day of class, and if you had the OPT; then 60 days after that since that is still done under the student visa.

If you are not continuing on directly with your studies, then your student visa expires. It is not valid until the date on it if you are not currently enrolled as a student in a full-time program.

There is no way that you can remain in the US at this time, currently there are no visas available for you. And the two year ADN does not meet the requirements for any other type of visa, only the green card. It is not possible to remain in the US since the US is not accepting petitions to adjust status at this time.

Wish that you would have known about us much earlier. Best of luck to you.

Palm517 · Aug 25, 2008

I just checked my status on my OPT,

"Current Status: Card production ordered.

On August 21, 2008, we ordered production of your new card."

that mean, im getting it right? Hopefully! lets wait and see what i have in the mail.

seriousnurse · Aug 25, 2008

I just checked my status on my OPT,
"Current Status: Card production ordered.
On August 21, 2008, we ordered production of your new card."
that mean, im getting it right? Hopefully! lets wait and see what i have in the mail.

yep, as strange as it may sound, looks as though you are going to get one. Good Luck and let us know when you receive one..i am happy for you.:wink2:

suzanne4, RN · Aug 25, 2008

Please be very careful because if you have used the OPT for the Bachelor's degree, you do not qualify for one for the ADN. Only if you got a Master's would you be able to use it.

You can never go down to a lower degree and use it.

It is not something to be happy about, it can get you into serious trouble with the US government when and if the time comes to apply for a green card. They are going to ask to see every single OPT that you had and the associated EAD with it. And this is going to cause you much trouble and can be grounds for automatically getting denied a visa.

Not something that I would fool with. It means that the school did not have full and correct information on you and this ultimately is your responsibility.

Palm517 · Aug 25, 2008

Please be very careful because if you have used the OPT for the Bachelor's degree, you do not qualify for one for the ADN. Only if you got a Master's would you be able to use it.
You can never go down to a lower degree and use it.
It is not something to be happy about, it can get you into serious trouble with the US government when and if the time comes to apply for a green card. They are going to ask to see every single OPT that you had and the associated EAD with it. And this is going to cause you much trouble and can be grounds for automatically getting denied a visa.
Not something that I would fool with. It means that the school did not have full and correct information on you and this ultimately is your responsibility.

Um.. im getting marriage soon, Can i just use it to apply for a job or starting work for the time being?

Silverdragon102, BSN · Aug 25, 2008

Um.. im getting marriage soon, Can i just use it to apply for a job or starting work for the time being?

Can still cause problems if using it and not really entitled to it.

RNGrad2006 · Aug 25, 2008

I just checked my status on my OPT,
"Current Status: Card production ordered.
On August 21, 2008, we ordered production of your new card."
that mean, im getting it right? Hopefully! lets wait and see what i have in the mail.

Have you considered going on my for your masters in nursing? With a bachelors and a nursing degree you may be able to do that and continue with school while retrogression is ongoing and once that is completed get a OPT with a masters in hand. I would listen to Suzanne's advice VERY closely. I had multiple I-20's and a OPT with my LPN and OPT with my RN since my LPN was on a M-1 and RN with a F-1 and different level of education which is why I qualified for 2 (but with the LPN I was only granted 4 months). I did have to provide every little detail during our green card process which is currently pending. Anything and everything you do will come back to haunt you if you do anything that is not within the requirements. Never pays to think you can get away with something....because you can't and really shouldn't to be fair to the rest of those who are following the rules. I know it is a frustrating time but it is frustrating for all.