tellmemore

suzanne4 and Silverdragon102 thanks a lot for your replies. That has answered almost all the question that i have for now. If i have anything more to ask, I will start new thread. You two are doing great work and i wish you all the best. Thanks, Nurse

Thanks all for quick replies. So here is what understood from these replies : 1: AOS and EAD are be related. Husband will go through AOS and then i can get EAD. But retrogression issue applies to AOS also not just new application from outside USA. Is this correct ? 2: So Date X for retroregression is like : government is processing applications done on that day .. one day at a time. First applied fist serve kind of. Is this correct ? 3: Yes i have Bsc degree (12 + 3+2 years of nursing education) from India. If this makes me very much eligible for H1 B application, I would be happy to persuade this option. Can you provide some more details ? What do i need to do try for H1 visa ? 4: My question about what is best course of action to take advantage of window opening (luckily or so) still remains unanswered. Any thoughts about this ? 5: So if I enroll for some nursing course on H4 i would still not be able to work those 20 hours also like F1 students. 6: So i can not even volunteer work. Even if i am not expecting money ? So what else i can do to remain connected to nursing in USA if none of these options work. Thanks, Nurse

Hi, I am registered nurse from India with 6 years of experience in Intensive care unit. I am currently here on H4 visa. I have through many post about related topics and i still have some questions which i would like to get answered here. 1: What is AOS ? What is EAD ? Is it same ? If not what is difference between them ? 2: I have read about retrogression and understand that it is going to be tough for Indian nurse to get work permit. So what is current date for Indian nurses related to this ? Now if i have understood this correctly , lets say this date is X , does this mean , currently US government is processing application of the people who have applied on or before that date X ? Is it before or after ? 3: Is this date X, applicable for AOS & EAD also ? Or there is some quota say Y each year for green card. And you can apply for AOS/EAD every year and retrogression would not matter in that case ? 4: Somewhere on this forum i also read about window being open for some short period of time. What does this mean ? Does that mean they processes new application ? If that is the case and assuming that can happen again (I know this being optimistic to its max) what will be best course of action to take advanatage of such situation and get work permit done even when you are applying later than many applicants. Is there any lottery system even for green card just like H1B visas ? 5: If there is no way i can work in USA for next 5-6 years , can i at least enroll into some program which involves lots of practical education ? I do not know much about nursing education system in US, so which courses involves more practical and less theory etc .. 6: I know on f1 visa , student can work 20 hours per week and get some money.. mostly they can use it pay some expenses towards their education. I know one h4 one can study. But is one who is on h4 allowed to do this 20 hours per week work. With this at least i will be able to pay some expenses toward my education. That will at least help me get education if i could not work. Something is better than sitting idle at home. 7: Is there anyway I as Indian Nurse with 6 years expierience on H4 visa can volunteer to work in US hospitals ? If nothing above works out well i would love to persue this options also as it will allow me to be connected to profession which i love so much. My be i will not be working in any capacity and will not be responsible for any direct duties. But hust helping others .. learning new things being current etc. All i would like to do is keep my self engaged in nursing related activities. Mostly work, if not that learn if not that help others .. . Please let me know what are all my options in this case. Thanks, Nurse

But then if Nurse is already in USA , is there any difference in I 485 or I 765 is accepted ? Or the rules are same no matter if Nurse is outside USA or inside USA ? So are the last 4-5 lines in the above link false ? --Nurse

While reading more about possibilities to still do something about this, i got this link http://www.usavisanow.com/nursegreencardinfo.html Where in last 4-5 lines it mentions different case when Nurse is in US, she can start working even after getting i765 . I485 will still come after years but that should not be problem as far as working is concerned. So i can be here on H4 , clear exams, get license and apply for 'Adjustment of status' and this should allow me to work here within next year or two rht ? Can anybody let me know if there is anything wrong in this information ? --Nurse

Hey thanks a lot for answering all of my questions. I have no more questions to ask now. Suzanne, I would just like to let you know that even though i would like to work in USA, it still remains very big decision of our life. And that's why i asked so many questions and also repeated some of them till i got clearer picture. Where did i say you _have_ to answer every question which i ask. But at the same time that's why we have these forums for ? Ask as many questions as you want and those who know the answers, answer them. Or answer which ever they feel like or which they know answers for .. Isn't it how it works ? Also the question was repeated was about false reports about Nursing Job vacancies in USA. Coz this is single most important question in whatever i have asked so far. As it would allow me to share this info with other friends from same field and help them also make real knowledge based decisions. May be you have never worked in other countries for a long time and you might not have an idea about how big such decisions are and how human beings tend to ask same questions again and again even if they being answered somewhere else JUST TO BE ABSOLUTELY SURE IN THEIR MIND that they are doing right things. I completely agree with you when you say i do need to pass the exam even before imagining how the situation would be after few years. But if even after passing the exam , i will not be able to work , Why would i waste my time and money for preparing an exam which is not going to take me anywhere ? And for this very reason it makes all the sense in the world for me to ask questions even about 5-6 years' situation down the line. Believe me when i say your answers were really helpful and it really made me aware of so many issues. But you seem to be either worried about current situation in US job market and not at peace of your mind or you might be somewhat biased about people like me. Anyways i would again like to thank you for all the answers. I also do not wish you to waste your time replying to this particular post as i have no more questions in this one and all of questions are already answered. I just wanted to let you know here that there are always two side of coin and also let you know what goes in poster's mind and express my thoughts about your comments in some of the post above. --Nurse

Hey thanks a lot Suzanne. You seem to got little bit irritated with so many repeated questions. I can understand but i would also like to tell that i did use quick search methods before asking questions. I only repeated some of the questions because 1: I wanted to know if there is any update to answers 2: Wanted answers exactly in my context. Anyways most of the questions are answered and i am much more aware of situation here.Thanks a lot. Only thing i do not understand is never ever you straightforwardly answer my question of reports being false about many nursing jobs available in USA as its usually marketed. Getting H1 as nursing instructor question was asked considering MSN only. Meaning if i opt MSN and then try to get H1. As i know for sure H1 are processed each year independently of previous year. If instructors are allowed to have H1 visas i might still work in USA with that. -Nurse

Hey thanks both of you for your helpful replies. Most of the questions are answered now. Though i have few new ones :). 1: The retrogression information that you are talking about is from current visa bulletin updates rht? Which might actually change if OBAMA government decides to change the policy related to these visas rht ? I am just trying to understand whole situation. Coz unless that government does something about these visa quoatas , i do not think i have any chance of getting visa approval in next 5-6 years. And frankly i was not planning to work there after around 6 years from now. So until some policy change happens, i think i am completely out of luck here. 2: I did not completely understand your comments about my husband's GC processing. For example lets say his GC proocessing starts next year, now this means only I140 rht ? But he would still have H1 and can work on that rht ? And assuming he gets one extention he can work for 3 more years . So he can work upto 5 more years after GC processing started. In this case its likely that his 485 would come even considering retroregression.(no gurantee but still a possibilty). Now i assume if he gets GC i will also get GC . If this is wrong let me know what Visa i will be having ? What is EAD ? Is it same as 485 ? So can i also start working once he files I140 and he gets it approved ? Is that also considered as my I140 approval ? Or only after 485 i can actaully work ? 3: Why such big issue of retroregression. News papers and agencies in India do lot of marketing saying Indian nurse have very good opportunities in US and all that stuff. So does not US healthcare really need foreighn nurses ? Are all those report false and only marketting stunt ? I am asking these coz i have lots of friends signed up with aganecies under assumption that once they pass NCLEX they can immediately start working in US which seem to be distant dream after whatever useful information/truth you have told me under this posting. And if reports are true and US healthcare industry really needs those foreighn nurses, Why government is not doing anything for their visa issues ? Is this completely governemnt's fault in this case ? Or there are certain things i am not taking into consideration here ? 4: I understand that on H4 i can take education in US. Is that correct ? If yes does my visa becomes F1 or remains H4 in that case. And am i allowed to do 20 hrs on campus job in this case which is normally allowed for F1 ? Are such things allowed in MSN course in nursing ? 5: You also mentioned some hospitals do sponsor H1 for nurses. So can i opt for this way ? Or this has been banned now ? If i take MSN course in USA after coming there on H4 , will that be helpful in anyway to improve my chances of being able to work in USA ? Can i work on OPT for one year in that case ? Or being on H4 does not allow me to opt for OPT ? Or MSN is not going to change anything here as all visa concerns remain same. 6: Can i chose to do different job related to nursing like nursing instructor and opt for any other visa if there is such an option ? is yes can you provide some details about what kind of jobs and what kind of visas ? 6: Also from your experiences in this field and newly ellected government's policies what are your personal opinions about visa issues being resolved for nurses in near future and chances of me working in USA ? I know nobody can be definite here as everything is uncertain and we are talking about future about which even President OBAMA can also be not sure as of today but i am just asking for personal opinions of the people who are closely following all the news in this field . Thanks for helpful information. I do not know if you are realizing what a great work you are doing by clearing all the doubts from nurses' minds. Keep it up. I have never seen a better nursing forum. God bless you.

Thanks for quick reply. Few more related questions : 1: What is ATT ? So after i get eligibility certificate how much time before i can actually appear for exam (assuming i take every next step on the very next day) ? Just trying to estimate minimum time here. 2: You did not talk anything about IELTS/TOEFL difference. My original Q no: 2. Any comments about it? 3: Also Q : 2 needs more explanation. I know that with diploma in Nursing from India you can sit for the NCLEX exam. So that alone is ok for eligibility. But i would always like to add my bachelor status in the processing to increase my chances of job. So is it ok to get eligibilty certificate on diploma basis and later on add bachelor qualification. As this would save me 4 months of time as i am yet to finish my bachelor which will only happen in Nov 2009. Also is there any time limit as to after you get eligibilty certificate , in certain amount of time you need to appear for exam ? 4: Can you tell more about possible visas for nurses which allow me to work leggaly in US ? By status i might also mean change of status of My husband's visa ? In that cases what option do we have ? Is green card only visa under which nurses can work in USA if she is from India ? Is H1 visa available for Nurses from India to work in USA ? Does retrogression applies to h1 visa also ? or for all types of visa for that matter or only for green card processing. 5: If not CA , which other part of USA you would like to sugegst which makes getting license easier ? Is boston, NJ, New york easier ? My husband would also shift to other place with me if required so just making sure he would also get the job if we plan to move to state other than CA where he currrently works on h1. 6: With respect to retrogression , processing time is 2001 . Do you mean they are processing application only from that year ? and My application would be put in the Queue and will come for processing only after 5-6 years ? What are other visa's part time work etc that i can get till that time ? Also do they not process a single application from this year ? is there any special category ? 7: Will you explain answer to orignial Q # 9 in more detail ? Just saying latets is best does not really help much. Does the content really change ? 8: My husband just came there in Nov 2008. And No gc processing yet. He is in software industry and currently on H1 for 3 years . thats all. So what do we need to do if we both want to work in US for longer period than 3 years of his h1 ? Will he be able to get GC and in that case can i get GC too so i can work ? How easy it would be for him to get GC mainly considering he is from software industry (There proeffesion seems to be in more demand) Thanks for your quick reply and i really _admire_ that. But i am taking some effort to clearly explain the questions and if get equally explainotory answers i would be more delighted. -Nurse

So what is status as of today for Indian Nurses to get the work permit in USA? I have not even appeared for the NCLEX exam yet ? Should i just forget about getting job in USA as RN ? Coz i think it would take 2 years(preparation for exam) + 5 -6 years of waiting for visa ? Os OBAMA government has promised to change anything with respect to this? Also does this retrogression thing mean , there is NO shortage of nurses in USA as many reports suggest ? Why would US governmen not allow Nurses from India come to US and work as RN ? I also have posted on list of question here: https://allnurses.com/forums/f75/step-step-procedure-get-license-work-rn-ca-usa-353599.html#post3295582 Will you please answer Q : 4 ? With information from latets update about visa buletin ? -Nurse.

Hi All, I am new member here and i would like to get some information about getting RN license in CA,USA. Before that i must say that there are lots of forums on internet about nursing but i found this one very useful.Thanks all in advance. I am a registered nurse from Pune,India. I have completed my Diploma in nursing in 2002. Then i worked for 6 years in hospitals in India, mainly in the ICU(Intensive care unit) departments. Now i am persuading Bachelor's degree in India which is 2 year course and i have already completed one year of it. I would be finishing this course by Nov 2009. I would like to work as RN in CA, USA. My husband works there and i already have got H4 Visa. From going through the forum posts i came to know that rules,requirements of different boards keep changing and different cases have different answers so i decided to compile complete list of my Q here and post to get MOST up to date information about the question involved. The main objective is to minimize time i waste after finishing my Bsc course in Nov 2009 but before i start job in CA, USA as RN. 1: What all exams do i need to appear for ? I know CA does not require CGFNS. Also My nursing diploma was not with english medium but my current BSC Nursing course (2 year course after Diploma) is completely in English. But i guess Nurses from India need to give English lagnuage exams. So i think NCLEX + IELTS are the only exams i need to give. Correct me if i am wrong. Also is TOEFL/TSE exam accepted instead of IELTS ? If yes which one is easier and quick one to finish ? 2: What are all the steps involved in passing NCLEX exam ? From some of the posts i got the idea that , I need to get my education certification verified from CSE even though i will not appear of CGFNS ? If yes what is the procedure for this ? And how much time it would take normally ? Can this process be started from india even though i plan to appear for NCLEX in USA and not in INDIA. Also i would like to go through any process only after i get my Bachelor's degree but it is going to take time i would like to start the verification process as early as possible. So in that case can i start with my Diploma certificates now and later on get Bachelor related certificates verfied? Will this speed up anything ? 3: How long before i sign up for the tests do i need to get the verification done ? If i read correctly so far , NCLEX exam can be given throught the year. SO how much waiting period is there for exam registration normally. Or is it like i can even register today and appear for exam tomorrow ? if this depends upon where i would appear it would be CA, USA. 4: What are all the Visa types that Nurses from India can have to work here as RN , legally. I have h4 but i know i can not work here with that. Can you list all of them. And is it posssible for my h4 to get converted to any of them ? i know this question better be asked to immigration attorney but what your experiences suggest ? 5: How easy is it to get the JOB once you are in US and cleared all the exams and in some cases got the required visa.( I know most of the times employer only will be sponsering visa.) How much time normally it takes to find the job considering i will have 3 + 2 years of Nursing education and 6 years of work experience. I would like to get the answers to these queestions mostly in contexts related to me. Like nurses from India or from other non english speaking counries, for jobs in CA, USA etc. I understand answer varies case by case but still what past experinences suggest with respect to this ? 6: What does this retrogression thing mean ? How does it affect my chances of getting job in CA, USA with valid visa.Preferably Green card. From some pointers i could collect that this is case when no. of applicants are more than visas available. But somewhere i also read that Nursing profession has been included in some 'special' category in USA where they quickly get visa. Will somebody please provide details about this issue. Mainly in the context of Indian nurses. What is current status ? When nurses are going to start getting valid visas next time ? Is it only done once in year ? Or the process is going on throught the year ? 7: In each of the valid visas to work as RN in CA, USA, how much time the processing normally takes to get them after NCLEX exam has been cleared ? Can one start job before its done and if one is already in USA ? 8: How to prepare for NCLEX-RN exam if you have studied Nursing from India. From forum posts i found Saunders/kaplan/suzane books widely used. is there anything else i should be considering. Also from what i read Saunders is good for contents while kaplan/suzane is good for Q & A. Is this correct. Mainly syllabus for Indian nursign and US nursing is bit different so i do not know which books among these three really fills gap between Indian nursing and US nursing education ? How much time Indian nurse normally has to prepare before she passes the exam ? I read somewhere for International nurse passing rate is around 50 %. Is there any corresponding figure for Indian nurses ? 9: Does the material for exam change drastically each year ? Reason i am asking these question is , is it ok to buy old books for NCLEX RN preparation ? Or one should always get new one ? 10: I have mainly worked in ICU(Intensive care unit )in India but is it possible to get jobs in other departments once you come to USA. Or all the experience that i hold (6 years) will be void in that case ? Thanks and eagerly waiting for answers to above questions. Nurse (yeah thats what i am and am proud to be !!)