Daning

The NVC and Manila interview wait time is getting faster. Maybe they're expediting the process to meet the remaining slots before the October cut-off? No one knows for sure. Anyways, congrats on your 9-11 interview!

There are already a number of threads here about retrogression. May I suggest to the mods to merge these threads? Thanks.

This thread is really nice. It gives me hope and confidence that things will be alright as I am in this situation right now. I will be leaving for the states anytime next month to work as a nurse without any hospital experience, and this my employer knew when I applied with them. I graduated from nursing school 10 years ago and has never been able to practice it. It will be my first time to work and practice my profession once I get there. I was very apprehensive the past months and was even wanting to pay for a training that I can get. At the same time, i was also confused because some of my friends who are already working in the states told me not to worry about getting a training anymore as the employers/ hospitals will give me an orientation and a training first before I will be left on my own to work independently. Well, this gives me high hopes. Thanks a lot for your sharing. God bless you all.

I think Ohio BON does not require CES anymore unlike other states. Although there are also some states who does like Florida. As suzanne4 has mentioned in one of her posts, one doesn't need to pass local boards to get nclex. and a typical example is this dentist turned nurse case. well, some things like this just really happens. it's a bit "burden" to the hospital, especially to the staff she's working with, but it's also a great risk on her part. a simple mistake might just put her in jeopardy. so she really need to catch up fast in learning and developing the nursing skills in her.

I think the Philippine Daily Inquirer, as our leading broadsheet will verify info first before running this ad. However, what did their message specifically say? It's not necessarily an endorsement if it's just well wishes, etc. The immigration lawyer Atty Chan mentioned several points I couldn't verify coz I'm not a lawyer nor familiar with US immigration laws. Maybe someone knowledgeable could look into that as well.

^ it's ok. many of us at one point, have this glorified version of uncle sam. that's the power of hollywood and now the worldwide web. but reality bites...some pinoys who come to the US soon realize that it's not as "heavenly" as they dreamt it to be. but in the end, it boils down to choice. for now, we chose to try it out in the supposed land of milk and honey. there will always be pros and cons to this choice which we just have to accept and live with...well, atleast for now. at any rate, i'm sure the pearl of the orient seas will always welcome us back with open arms if and when we choose to go home in the future. Goodluck to our continuing journey...

Furthermore, this school posted a letter from an alleged immigration lawyer from Pasadena, CA complete with contact info (see link below). Maybe someone from CA could look at the veracity of this as well. http://www.stignatiuscollege.com/documents/ATTY_CHAN.pdf

There is indeed reason to doubt this and all prospective students should be very careful. They posted their partner US institutions in their website http://www.stignatiuscollege.com/accreditation.htm and maybe it would help to check directly with these US schools also. It would be unfair if their names are posted as partners and turns out to be otherwise. If they have not authorized the use of their names, then it should not be posted on the website! I hope CHED could look to this school and release a statement on its credibility and authenticity. It would be sad if they turn out to be bogus, using the name of the saint who founded the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) at that!

^ that's true. about 80% of which are DH while the rest are middle to upper middle class pinoys shopping for bargains or visiting Disneyland!

let's be careful in over patronizing the US. while it's no issue that they are superior compared to the philippines (heck, they are superior in many ways over almost any country on earth!), many posts here uncover the reality of healthcare which are accessible only if you are working and have health insurance. i've read a lot about poor and jobless americans dying also becuase they couldn't afford paying the bills without health insurance. and while there are cases (hyped and dramatized by pinoy telenovelas) of patients not admitted for not giving a deposit outright, it would be unfair to generalize all philippine hospitals. i know a number of reputable hospitals in manila and other key cities who would address/treat any ER case specially if it's a life and death situation without asking for a deposit first. in the real world, what is shown in gulong ng palad or other pinoy tearjerkers doesn't necessarily always happen.

Just a little tip who are about to leave already the Philippines already. Not everyone knows that immigrants can actually withdraw your contributions plus interest from Pag-Ibig Fund. You juts need to fill-up forms and photocopy of your immigrant visa. this is a substancial amount specially if you've worked for a long time already. for more info, check this link:http://www.pagibigfund.gov.ph/sp_provident.htm You may also download the forms from this website.

Police clearance ONLY if you lived abroad for atleast 6 months. Otherwise, it's just the NBI clearance

Peanut recently shared her experience with the LAX point of entry. Maybe those in the US already can also share their experience? how about those who entered in the east coast? our port of entry is detroit. do they have special procedure for those with kids? how about customs procedure and checking your stuff? thanks.

another thing you may want to look at is the time difference from the day of your consular interview and when you actually submitted the documents. apparently this matters a lot on the release of your visa. in one of my earlir posts, i mentioned someone i know who already received his updated contract right after the interview. he submitted the lacking document a few days after and now got his visa after around 2+ weeks wait. this other nurse meanwhile from my same hospital was able to submit her missing document (also an updated contract) more than a month after her consular interview. it's now almost a month for her with still no visa. again cases do vary and the actual document missing may also be a factor. but this is just a possible scenario which may or may not apply in your respective cases. anyways, goodluck and i hope you'll get your visas soon.

FYI, police clearance will only be needed from a foreign country (meaning outside the Philippines) that you have lived for atleast 6 months. Otherwise, you only have to submit the NBI clearance

For those who are in Manila, did anyone watch Reporter's Notebook on GMA 7 last night? Actually it's this morning already coz they started past 12midnight already. Anyways, they did a documentary on Filipino nurses in the USA. And they featured Jacksonville, FL! Wow, there are so many pinoys there. They interviewed nurses working in Shands and Baptist...they seem to be doing very well

^ hey this is an informative discussion. and if you're sources are authentic, then readers of this thread ought to get the correct information... topics such as this which have legal implications should come from real and reliable sources supported by facts...and not just speculations nor mere opinions

^ That is perfectly ok. I just downloaded my blank ds230 forms over the net and it went just fine. Make sure though that you get the updated version of the form. Just look at the small prints...which is on the upper right side i think. anyways, since your lawyer did it for you, it should be ready for printing and just a sign away. hey, they're being paid top dollars (which is part of what will be deducted from you in the future) so they better get it right. goodluck!

Hi!just a question...does it mean that if you already received your confirmation you can take the test in any of their testing centers?i'm thinking if this would be okay so i could choose which testing center can accommodate me to take the test fast. thanks.

^35K? maybe for the private schools in manila like ust and st lukes. but not those in the provinces and the state universities like UP Manila. Again, if you have what it takes, you could never go wrong with UP. Again, check the integrity and track record of the school. If it has been involved with scandals and anomalies (eg fake board topnochers, leakages, permit problems)...forget it!

so you're all set? do you have a definite nclex exam date already? previous research show the good predictive value of the cgfns exam to the nclex. so i think you'll do just fine. goodluck and have a safe trip. keep us posted once you're settled in the us already

^ for those still waiting, i do hope everyone will be like the "july batch". however, if you look at the general trend for the past 2 years (based on posts in this thread), our batch was unusually fast. don't really know why. is may to july a lean month of sorts with NVC or the embassy? or are new systems/procedures in place that aims to expedite the process? no one knows for sure. your guess is as good as mine. so realistically speaking, we still can't say that 2 months is now the trend. it may just be a freak of good luck for us. but remain positive. let's wait for the next schedule of interviews as well as new posts in this thread and see if indeed processing now is faster or still the usual 3-4 months. goodluck!

Not sure about tuition fees. But I agree 100% in going to reputable schools. Where is your cousin now? if you post the province, maybe we could suggest a good school in the area. if it's in manila and your cousin can pass the UPCAT, then UP Manila is your best choice. Next options are UST or UERM. These are big schools with a reputable college of medicine also and with no track record of anomalies and the like.St. Luke's/Trinity or even maybe PWU and CEU may be "back up" schools as well. just stay away from schools who either have problems with CHED permit or were involved with board exam (nursing or medicine) anomalies in the past. In the provinces, some very good schools are De La Salle University Health Sciences campus in Cavite, La Salle Bacolod, Siliman University in Dumeaguete, and the Jesuit universities of course (e.g. Ateneo de Davao, Ateneo de Zamboanga or Xavier University in Cagayan De Oro). If there are other state universities also offering nursing degrees may be quality and affordable alternatives as well (e.g. UP Visayas or Mindanao, PLM, etc.) This is an important decision and big investment. Choosing the right school is very important. Goodluck!

^^ Your posts about not so good experiences working with fellow pinoys are sad indeed. but i believe that there are others also that see it as an advantage or have good experience working with their kababayans. I hope they post also so that we can have a more well-rounded view on this.

reason # 3 seem a bit radical. what made you think of it as a possibility? did you see anything suspicious during your interview? while this is not entirely impossible, i still want to give the embassy people the benefit of the doubt. while i may have misgivings on some inefficiency i've experienced myself, it never came to the point of entertaining the thought of a deliberate attempt on their end to "sabotage" the process. give it time. again, if everything's in order now, the visa will be with you soon. but if it extends to an "unreasonable" wait already (say 3-4months?), then maybe you could consider writing directly to the consul general. goodluck and keep us posted.