miasat

hi guys, thanks for reposting my messages here - it has become a bit frustrating repeating information over and over again. through the course of my application for registration in quebec, i have come to rely on allnurses as my sounding board- so i wrote in this thread everything i know, every step of the way. keeps the anxiety level in check. :) if you would go back to the beginning of this thread, you will see that i posted all the procedure up until the exam. even wrote a lengthy description of the oiiq exam.. of which i hope i wont get into trouble for. lol. now, i have heard of this agency in the philippines marketing the so-called "quebec nursing program," - a term you cannot find in any official govt website, because it's only a term coined by the agency for marketing purposes. this cannot be confused with the other legit immigration programs of canada. I do not know this agency so i cannot discredit their claims, that of helping international nurses gain entry into canada. Up to the present moment, I have not confirmed anybody who has successfully arrived in quebec via the process they describe. Anyhow, immigration discussions are not allowed in this thread, and we really don't want to be blocked. :) @ewol - the short version of getting registered in quebec - you get application packet from oiiq, you submit all the documents, they tell you what you have to do (training or course), then if you pass, they tell you to take the exam. They tell you when - if you don't take it the time that they tell you to, it's considered one fail (unless you have a very good reason why you missed the exam). No, I did not take the french course in the Philippines, I took a few courses in Montreal, never took the required French exam. After I passed the OIIQ exam, I was given a temporary license, renewable 3 times until I pass the french language test. But since the oiiq exam is equivalent to the crne (canada board exam), I applied for a job all over the country - and am now based in Winnipeg. I am a fully registered nurse in Manitoba now, and I love this city as well as I did (and still do) Montreal. :) As for the expenses, I reiterate my previous statement from previous posts. I came here already with a permanent resident visa, family-sponsored. I have no idea about immigration procedures - so I really am not in a position to give you advice. Ballpark figure, since I forgot how much exactly i paid - oiiq application fee of $500, exam fee of $500, then once i passed, registration fee of another $500 ..and $50 for the OIIQ reviewer. Also, if you intend to invest, you can actually read up on the entire process from the OIIQ website.. it may look intimidating, but they do have english forms there.. you can also call oiiq directly for questions, they're very accommodating. Best of luck!

mtdt and others - please read all the posts in this thread.

@djpinay - hi, please read my above post :) i did not go through an agency. i dnt know your agency. they might be legit, or they might not be. i really have no idea. i came to canada with a permanent resident visa, i was family-sponsored. just to let you know.

(to moderators, i hope it's ok to post this here, you may delete this if it's not in the proper thread) i just want to clarify something - i did not go through any agency or consultancy firm - i had a permanent resident status when i applied for assessment with oiiq. i am wondering if my posts here in allnurses (and of other posters) have led people to think that the "quebec nursing program" being marketed in the philippines is a tried and tested route to work in canada. But in my case, I did not go through this process. I am not a testimony to the legitimacy of the process being described by your immigration consultants. The "quebec nursing program" does not exist from the point of view of the canadian government. I understand it is a phrase coined for marketing purposes by an immigration consultancy office in the philippines... this sounds like the "canada live in caregiver program," so it sounds legit - I don't have much knowledge of immigration laws in quebec or canada, so I cannot discredit you consultant or agency or whatever they want to be called. From the information I gathered of this QNP, most of the information given to you re assessment of oiiq are accurate. You can verify all the information they give you, by calling the right people. the oiiq does have a phone number, and the canadian immigration website is a gem. But that's not my issue here. Again, I want to clarify and emphasize, that I was already in quebec when I applied with the oiiq. As far as I know, the last time quebec recruited nurses from the philippines was in the 70's when french wasn't a requirement. Bottomline, if you're applying for quebec, then you may be the first batch. :) Or ask your agent or consultant if they have ever sent anyone to quebec, ask for a name, get in touch with that person to ask how everything went...plus read up on immigration laws in quebec and the rest of canada before paying the fees. Quebec is a province in Canada and is thus subject to the rest of the country's immigration laws. It's not its own country. (not yet, maybe not ever). :heartbeat

hi howard, just to correct my previous post - i did handcarry all my documents to the oiiq. called them prior, and they said it was ok to mail it from the philippines, as long the envelope is sealed. @ewol - i posted the process i went through, including a description of the exam in one of my posts here.

hi howard, i hand-carried my application form and high school transcript... but of course, as directed, had prc and nursing school send my documents to oiiq. :)

hi guys. i came to canada with an immigrant visa, family-sponsored. so moving to another province was not a problem. :) what kind of visa are you applying for? is quebec open to giving work visas to filipino nurses? is this a program of oiiq?

hi silverdragon and helpdesk, thanks for the reply. by my previous post, you can probably tell that i'm all mixed up.. i am a permanent resident of canada, and i can apply for citizenship next year. @helpdesk - im learning about "shortcuts" the hardway anyway, i passed the california BON, and as far as i know my nclex pass will expire in a year if i dnt get a license.. so getting a vermont license is the only way i dnt waste my nclex pass (i heard?). which made a lot of sense to me when i was downloading licensing requirement from vermont.... bottomline is, i wanted a license in vermont, for the license and not to work. i am practising in manitoba now, and as much as i've come to love this place and my job, i just dnt see myself staying here for good. i hate the winter months. so, im planning on moving EVENTUALLY to warmer climate. Going south is the more obvious alternative..that is why I have thought to start the paperwork. My family's in houston, so Texas is also an option. I do know that the job market is tough right now, but Im hoping... Going back to ierf.. the CES is a requirement for most if not all of the states... so once i get my academic records verified, i could simpy request a report from ierf (or cgfns) to be sent to the state of my choice.. im assuming again, that my assumptions are right. yesterday when i was typing my previous msg, i was confused about the CES and the visa screen.. so these two are not the same? @helpdesk, i could still pursue ierf, and then apply for visa screen with cgfns? i guess, you're right. have to wait it out be patient with the agencies i deal with. @silverdragon - hi. ive become so dependent on allnurses for info. i read somewhere here that im goin to need to be a canadian citizen, and to have the following - a job offer from the US (which will qualify me for a TN visa), nclex, english test, and visa screen to work in the US. are these the requirements in a nutshell? or am i leaving something out? im sorting everything out -- thank you so much!

i desperately need your help, for people who have dealt with ierf. i passed my nclex last year, through the california BON. I am now based in canada, have a canadian license, but do not have a SSN so i cannot get a USRN license through california. i then figured maybe i could go through vermont licensing board, since they can give me a license without the ssn, as long as i have the pass letter from cali. One other requirement is a CeS which I could get through cgfns or ierf. I do not know what i was thinking but instead of going through the more familiar cgfns, i applied and paid for the fees in ierf!!!! It's been almost a year since then, and they have been asking for a course description from my school (i went to nursing school in the Philippines), of which they never seem to be satisfied with my school is sending. And after a looong and cranky phone call to them, they finally admitted they have NEVER verified someone from the school i went to. All the other graduates of my school went to CGFNS to have their papers verified, not ierf, so nobody`s heard of ierf, and my school just don`t know how to respond to what they want! I`m so frustrated now, I wanted to pull out all the documents I sent to them, since it cost a lot of $$$ to file. They refuse to send them back! And they`re charging me an extra 80$ since apparently the documents were not submitted on time (since it`s not complete)-- and they havent done anything YET! Right now, my problem is.. should i just cut my losses, and start from scratch this time with CGFNS? Now my question is this.. (after that very long intro) I am a canadian licensed nurse, wanting to work in the US. I have my nclex from cali board, hoping to get licensed through vermont (since i have no ssn.) I know i will need a visa screen for the TN visa which i hope to apply for next year. The visa screen is issued by cgfns? should i just give up on ierf, tell them to shove my papers up their...and go to cgfns? if i have a visa screen by cgfns, is this accepted by the vermont board of nursing? does anyone know the answer to my questions? so confused. and overwhelmed. im trying to read the vermont board requirements again, and the words are just blurry thanks amigos!

ahhh. so who's going to arrange for your integration? are they going to enroll you in the training or study?

hi again, theresaaiza, as i mentioned in my previous post, i already had a PR visa before applying for OIIQ registration. :) I do not understand the information your consultancy office tells you. Just to clarify - you are in the Phils now, your documents are being assessed by OIIQ, and your consultant tells you that you will get a PR visa once you passed the board exam and french exam? did i get it right? And in the meantime, you will enter Canada with a temporary work permit? Is your consultancy office arranging for your temporary work permit? that's a good deal, if they can do that for you.

Hmm..the thing with the "integration process" is that the OIIQ gives you the option of finding a hospital that will admit you to be "integrated" into the quebec healthcare system. So from my own experience, I actually had to apply in hospitals and interviewed by human resources, just like any other job. Your agency's promise sounds plausible, in a way, so I cannot discredit their claim totally. But the granting of a "tourist visa" to be integrated sounds a little off.. because the hospital will require you to submit a social security number to be accepted. .. you cannot be "hired" if you're not eligible to work in the country...and i dnt think a tourist visa grants you that privilege.. Please ask your agency about this...or inquire at the canadian embassy in manila -- and ask your agencyif they have had any past clients who successfully went through the process they describe - and verify with the person, where this person is now, etc.. ... Yes, you can apply from the philippines, the OIIQ and even the other canadian boards encourage application prior to arriving in the country. (It is not the boards' problem how you get here.. they're just concerned about assessing and validating your documents and earning money from the applications.. ) I didnt pay any fee for the integration program. :) The OIIQ also sends a list of schools you can apply for... but most anglophones would go to john abbot cegep, because the instruction is in english. In fact, I believe it is the only school that gives the bridging program... but i'm not sure. Goodluck!

Hi simoun, i just read this post of yours. Please be very careful when dealing with "agencies." They can do nothing to help you ease your way through the immigration process. All the information you will need will be in the canadian immigration website. The OIIQ application, if you get hold of it, should also explain everything. (they come in english too).

Hi theresaaiza.. there are hospitals in Montreal that do not necessarily require French. But having come from there, believe me, you WILL eventually need to learn the language. You will get strictly francophone patients, (even in Montreal) and based on my personal experience, it IS NOT easy. I only lived in Montreal for a little over a year, straight from the Philippines, and save for 6 units of French from University, can only manage the occassional "Oui" and "Bonjour." Plus..you'd have to do the required french exam. (For the other provinces, it's the IELTS they require) If you are already in Montreal, it's not a problem. As a Quebec resident, they do give French courses that cost next to nothing. The Quebec government also gives intermediate french courses to Health care professionals. The Filipino nurses I met in Quebec, were either (1) studied nursing in Quebec and (2) came to Quebec in the late 70's when french wasn't a requirement, and they recognized the Philippine Board exam. And yes, they are holding up quite well. You can definitely land a job in Quebec as a nurse, if you are already in the country.. after going through the whole OIIQ process... Good luck! :redbeathe

Hi! i haven't been reading this site. i hope you still read my reply. are you in the philippines now? i dnt think i mentioned this in any of my previous posts, but i applied for assessment of my documents when i was already living in montreal, and had a permanent resident status. i had no agency, didnt have to go through immigration as a nurse. And although I'm sure Filipino nurses are more than qualified for nursing positions in Quebec, I have not heard of any recruitment for nurses in the Philippines. I think it will be more difficult for filipino nurses to get into Quebec than any of the other Canadian provinces. So if you have been talking to a recruiter, please be wary of the information that they give you. Quebec is very strict about the french language requirement, and I dont think they would look towards the Philippines to recruit. They have, however, been actively recruiting french nurses, from France. This is because they finally signed an agreement with France to make France-educated nurses, automatic OIIQ registered. Yes, they don't have to pass the OIIQ exam. In fact, in the hospital where I worked, they just hired a number of french nurses. If however, you already have a valid visa, and are already in Canada, and are a registered nurse (from the Philippines), it is very possible for you to come to Quebec to work as a nurse. Submit your papers to the OIIQ, they have all the information in both french and english, and get your papers assessed. It depends on their assessment what you will be required to do. After I did my 40-day training, I was evaluated by my nurse manager and preceptor. They submitted the results of my evaluation to the OIIQ as a pass or fail. The other trainee I worked with failed the first time, and had to do an extra month before being given the CPN status. (equivalent to the "graduate nurse" status in other provinces).. so you'd actually have to pass the 40 day training/evaluation process. Once a CPN, the OIIQ will then give you the schedule of your exam. They will tell you when you will take the exam, and you will be given three tries to pass it. If you don't take the exam on the schedule they tell you to take the exam, that will be equivalent to ONE FAIL. Unless you have a very good reason why you didnt (and they'll require documents to prove your claim)... The Nursing exam you can choose to take in English or French. They give it in both. So that is not the problem. When you pass the nursing exam... you will be given a temporary license, until you pass the French language test. Or- take a High school 6-level french course.. Which.. I didnt want to do... that's why I left Quebec a couple of months ago... I'm now in Winnipeg, with a full RN license