rsmit02

Hi guys, Thanks for the info, I didnt apply during July as I havent sat nclex yet was not ready, I am planning to take it in a month or so. I do understnad the downside to the H1C but having to go home now is a bigger downside. I did check about the F1 visa and you can apply for it here in the usa and go to the us consulate in NY for your visa interview I spoke to my international student advisor and she said they would happily accept me back as a student as my GPA is 4.0 and issue the I-20 within the 30 days as long as I had the paper work required as I do. Does anyone think there will be a fix to retrogression in the next 12 months at all??? Whats your best guess? Ruthx

Hi all, I was wondering how people were handling the retrogression and decisions on how to remain in the usa? I am on a student F1 visa and was really hoping that when the senate came back into session after summer they would do something to release some visa numbers specifically for nurses but so far nothing and no hope in sight. I am born in the UK but just cannot find any real information on if I find a hospital to file my I-140 how long it will be till I can adjust my status. I read the visa bulliten and it states Feb 2002 does that really mean if my I-140 was filed now it would be 4 years till I can adjust my status? If this is the case I am seriously considering applying to a local hospital here in NJ who sponser the H1C visa. I truly would rather be working in a rough neighbourhood with the worry of my contract being terminated than sat here as a student unable to earn money. I figure if they terminate my contract I could also apply to be a student again. Is there a number I can ring maybe the usa embassy in the uk who can tell me what the visa status is specifically for the uk not just "worldwide"? What are peoples thoughts? Ruth

Hi all, I am wondering if anyone knows or anyone can give me me a link to information on how to tell what your exact countries EB dates are. I am born in the UK and know the visa date for EB3 in the worldwide category is Jan 01 is this the exact date for the uk? Also to understand this right if the date is Aug 02 it means the people who applied for their EB3 visa up to Aug 02 are currently being processed for and issued visas? Meaning as a uk born citizen in theory for a hospital to hire me right now it would be 5 years till my visa came through? I take it you cannot file for a temp work visa via adjustment of status in the mean time if you have applied for EB3? How can I know what the uks exact dates are for EB3? Boy I hope that Schedule A comes back in the fall or I will have to go the HC-1 route!!! Ruthx

I said to a friend I was a member here and they asked me to ask a question for them. They are a qualified Nurse in the UK and have had the cgfns report done and sent to the BON in NJ and have permission to sit nclex but not sat it yet. There husband has just been offered a job in Canada and she is wondering if it is possible to be a RN in Canada and what the process is? Any help would be much appreciated. Ruthx

I love this post it is a great question. I have recently left the uk nursing to come to the usa as I am fed up of the nhs and agenda for change was the straw that broke the camels back I was worse off a month financially!! I really really wish nurses would stand up for themselves. I truly believe if every nurse worked to rule for a week the country and the prime minister would be on their knees. Nursing is a predominantly female profession which is a down side as woman are less likely to strike or take what is seen as aggressive action. All to often female nurses have family and feel the risk to their jobs that is putting food on the table is not worth the fight. But we train for 3 YEARS the police do 6 WEEKS training and they earn more than we do so so the fire service. At my local Tescos the junior manager was earning more than me. Nurses are the back bone of a country they save lives. Lots of nurses objected to agenda for change but we as a profession as a whole did nothing we sat back and took it. It was a perfect oppertunity to stand together and demand our worth, dedication, training and knowledge was worth more than you get working in Tescos!!!! I got £1300 a month in my pocket at home as a D grade with 10 years experience, I couldnt get a promotion to E grade as everytime an E grade left the job was frozen and a D grade does it for a D grades pay. When I started nursisng a D grade couldnt do this or that only E grades now its fine for us to do it its cheaper. My friend drives a lorry with frozen food monday to friday 9-5 he comes home with £1350 a month he thinks it is hilarious I worked so hard to get my degree in nursing when he did nothing and he is earning more than me. I work all the awful hours, I work christmas, my birthday, my kids birthdays he doesnt. Its not fair and until nurses as a profession get together and at the least work to rule then nothing will change. So I say well done the irish nurses!! As for the publics perception I really think most the uk public has no idea how badly we are paid for what we do, everyone knows a nurse who they respect who took care of a loved one and I think they would be outrages if they truly knew what the goverment really did with agenda for change. I think the public would understand and back a work to rule 100% Ruthx

Thanks guys, Thats just the information I was looking for I thought it was broken down by country but it seems from what you all said uk is at 2003 aswell. Heres hoping the fix for retrogression is coming soon but as everyone im not holding my breath its just sit tight and wait and see! Ruthx

Hi all, A quick question on the EB3 visa the only visa currently available for nurses in the usa at the moment I am born in the uk and heard talk at the start of retrogression that EB3 visas are issued quarterly for each country and the visa bulletin lumped a lot of countries in together in the category "worldwide" and you should check your individual contries visas. Someone here said that the uk issued their visas quarterly. How do I check what the current date is for EB 3 visas for uk citizens? Is there a website that breaks it down from "worldwide" to country specifics or is there a numbe call? Or am I wrong and clutching at straws and the worldwide date is the only date fo uk nurses!! Ruthx

Hi all, Just wanted to post this link Im new to usa and also miss the soaps left UK this christmas with all the big christmas story lines going on and dont know how they ended!!! BUT Then found this web site they have chanel 1 2 3 and 4 streamed right to your PC!!! Ok it costs like $45 a month but it works great and it has both live TV and an 8 Hour delay so we can watch their evening TV at our evening time!! I have it and there is no problems with it at all love it!!! http://www.liveuktv.com/ Ruthx

I was in the uk and had cgfns for NJ done and it too well over 9 months and 5 of those were AFTER all my documents had been submitted, they said when I rang they were busy kept telling case was ready for review and it would be assigned to someone, never was. The only way I got it done was to call EVERY week, take 1 persons name and speak to them, I asked for a supervisor/manager in the end and also asked to be out throught the their Quality Assurance team that was what got things moving in the end as soon as they got involved I had the report inmy hand within 2 weeks!!!!! My best advice get on the phone often, and as soon as your documents are submitted keep on at them to assign your case to a reviewer. Their service is expensive and shocking there should be an alternative company that can also do this so cgfns get their act together because people start going to the competition. Good luck!!! Ruth x

Hi all, I have a question, im currently in the usa on an F1 visa and studying for my nclex which the NJ BON has given me permission to sit. I am like many others am waiting out the retrogression. But Im wondering while an F1 visa holder can I seek an employer after passing nclex and file my I-140 then remain here legally as an F1 student doing classes till retrogression is over and I file for AOS? Or once the I-140 is submitted does that cancel my F1 visa? Also does anyone know where I can find out the specifics for UKs allocated visas I know schedule A is gone but how do you know if your coutry has working visas that a nurse can use? There was talk in January here on the boards that for uk there would be issuing of visas quarterly and nurses can use those does anyone know anything about this? Many thanks, Ruthx

Hi all, Thought I would chip in here as I am in the USA with a student F1 visa doing exactly as you talk about. BUT it is not to be reccomended unless you have a lot of cash to live on while here. I applied for my F1 visa for Nursing school here in NJ and the interview was very very tough!! They asked me why as a nurse would I be coming to usa as a student. I was able to say I was doing extra courses for nursing that would give me promotion here in uk when I returned and my employer gave me a letter testifying to this. I was able to take an unpaid year out of my job and prove I was not giving up employment here but had a full time job on hold for me. I was able to prove I had a pension here in uk I was keeping paying in to while I was away. The consular officer still gave us a hard time he questioned us for ages both me and my husband. The only thing that finally swung it for us was $30,000 of savings we had to prove we would not work while we were here. The consular officer made very sure he explained the rules of working here while a student, you can work for 20 hours ON CAMPUS like the bookshop or library but these jobs ive discovered are like gold dust and impossible to get. The law says you can apply for financial hardship as an F1 student and get permission from the goverment to work outside the campus for 20 hours but you have to prove through bank records you had the money to come to usa and where it went. It is mainly for cases where say you got massive unexpected medical bills and needed money. It is also TOTALLY illegal under ANY circumstances for my husband to work. And for those that think its easy to find off the books work for cash its impossible no social security card means no work. So we are here in the usa and our living expenses are $1100 a month and we live with my sister rent free an apartment would cost and extra $800 on top. It is working fine for us because we live with my sister and have plenty savings from selling our house in UK but we are still keeping our fingers crossed retrogression ends soon. I am doing full time school of classes like Medical terminology and anatomy and physiology that will help me pass nclex but there is a lot of homework and its hard tests are every week with 2 major exams in he 19 weeks and if you fail a class you risk being sent home. If you plan to try this route just be aware it is difficult and you have to show major ties to your country to prove your coming home as they know your a nurse in your country and you will likey be doing this to get to usa to work as a nurse. You need your own money and you need to be sure your english and study skills are up to full time college courses to keep your visa. Ruth x

Hi all, Any advice on when I should apply to cgfns for my visa screen. I am planning sitting nclex round about end of August hoping the retrogression situation has begun to resove by then is it to early to apply for visa screen yet? Ruthx

Hi all, When I first started posting here I ran a thousand searches looking for information on UK trained Psychiatric / Mental Health trained nurses being able to nurse in the usa. I looked endlessly both on the boards here and on the internet in general. Everything I read depressed me, it all said at worst I couldnt work there at all without totally re-training here in uk a general nurse or at best I would have to make up lots of hours. Well I am pleased to say it was not correct!! I was told here by Suzanne that it was a totally individual thing based on what hours of theory and practice you had done NOT what training you had done Pschiatric or General. She was totally correct, I submitted my application to CGFNS for Credential Review and got my report last week. Today I got confirmation from the NJ BON that I WAS eligable to sit NCLEX and never had any hours to make up!!!!! I am so so happy, totally delighted. It is a really complicated process the info out there on what to do and what order to do it in is so confusing and cgfns service is slow and frustrating but I am glad I have got through it! My next steps are to continue reviewing for nclex and register with Pearson Vue to sit nclex when Im nearly ready to test. So anyone from UK out there especially psychiatric nurses I did my training 1997-2000 I did the last year of Project 2000 nurse training and had NO hours to make up so go for it apply to cgfns DO NOT BELIEVE all you read that Psychiatric nurses cannot sit nclex or nurse in usa. Ruthx

Dont get me started about cgfns CES report!!! Long story short it took 11 months from submission of application to issue of report. I cannot stress highly enought to keep on at people. Call your nursing school check they got your requests for transcript then call to check they sent it. Call cgfns EVERY week I mean EVERY week keep asking how your case is going why it is sitting still. They sat on my case for weeks at a time and I would call and they would say yeah were just waiting for this or that and they hadnt even requested it or told me I needed it!!!! I waited with my file pending as complete for 4 MONTHS called every week they said it was complete and awaiting a reviewer. Well I finally siad enough was enough called to make a formal complaint spoke to a supervisor who eventually told me they had changed rules in NJ and cgfns fees and now I had to pay another $85 for cgfns to tell NJ BON I spoke english in UK (shocker) and that was what was holding it up. Of course I told her why could they have not told me tha t 4 MONTHS AGO!!! Anyhoo finally got report last week and am none the wiser it states my hours completed but doesnt say if I need to make up classes or if I am eligible for nclex in NJ based on my training. i guess I just need to sit tight and wait to hear from NJ BON. In my opinion cgfns need goverment investigation they hold a nasty monopoly on foreign nurses and it is disgusting!!! Keep on the phone to them and good luck. Ruth x

Hi there, I started the process to apply in NJ last April 2006. I applied to cgfns for full education report CES and also applied to NJ BON for liceincesure for foreign trained nurse. I got my cgfns report back a few days ago and yesterday I went for fingerprinting that NJ BON sent me for. I am just waiting to hear from NJ BON on wether I will get permission to test not sure how long that is going to take but I think at least a good few weeks. I dont think I have hours to make up my cgfns report never said I did and I take it thats where It would say it if I did. Good luck I think patience and constant checking up on cgfns is the best advice I can give you!!! Ruth x