Mike32110

I do appreciate your advice by the way. I just read something online that contradicted it, however, I read further and found out that there is an exception. I guess when I apply for jobs I'd have to write "Florida RN License in Progress (Pending SSN)" on my resume and hope for the best. When I pass the NCLEX, I will make sure to add that on my resume as well, so they know that all I am waiting on is a job offer. Would it be more practical doing research and finding a highly underserviced area to look for jobs?

The only thing that has changed is that I was not aware I would need a SSN to get a license, and it seems that you CAN apply for a SSN in order to get a visa if you have proof that all other licensing requirements are met. I am going to talk with a consulat in the next few days, plus i'll be down in Florida next week so maybe I can find someone there that has been through the whole process. Thanks.

So then how are Canadians working down there?

Hey everyone. I am in the process of moving to the United States to become an RN down there, after practicing for almost four years in Canada. I am getting really confused by the whole process, and somewhat intimidated now. I am extremely confused as it seems that in order to get your license, you must have a SSN. in order to get a SSN I need a visa. In order to get a visa, I need a license. I have been looking into moving to Florida, so I was wondering if it is just some stakes that require a SSN for a license? It seems that the process would be to get a license, get a visa, get a SSN, get a job. This would be great because I could then apply for a job when I am fully able to work. Any help is appreciated! Thanks

Thanks for all of the helpful information everyone! It really answered a lot of questions. So it seems that you can apply for your greencard ANYTIME during either a H1B or TN visa? And from my research on Florida Uni's, they generally require 1 year residency (and if you are not a citizen, they need 1 year of you working towards your citizenship, which I believe would be 1 year of greencard?). I know that it is only state Universities that do this, but it does help in the big picture. Regarding the taxation status, I should elaborate more on my life plan. Canada has a TON of great benefits, such as socialized health care, but at the end of the day we all pay for it. I do a lot of investing in real estate/stocks, and continuing on my current trajectory, in a couple of years my investment income will exceed my wage (its already about 50%). Taxes in Canada are much higher than the US, but we get things like healthcare and a good canadian pension plan. My rationale is that even at my current income level, the long term costs of health insurance would be less than the differences in Canadian to US taxes. Furthermore, the differences between US and Canadian taxes are MUCH more pronounced in the higher tax brackets, furthering my beleif that long term for financial reasons living in the US makes more sense. Also, when I am ready to retire I would probably rather be in a place like Florida than Calgary as the biggest perks for me living in Canada right now are snowboarding and ice-hockey- two things that I wont likely be doing in my 70s :). I hope that the last paragraph somewhat explains my rationale! So starting from where I am right now, here is my anticipated timeline. Let me know if I am way off. -Spend at least a month living in Florida, job shadowing nurses, and talking to managers regarding job oppertunities (planning on driving down in a week) -Apply for licensing with board of Florida, send transcripts, fingerprints, and criminal record checks. I guess in like 2-3 months after this, I would get a NCLEX writing date (please let me know if it is less than this time, as I was planning on using the waiting period to do some much needed studying). -Pass NCLEX, get license in the mail (maybe 1-2 weeks later?) -go down to Florida and start renting, no visa needed at first due to just tourism for now. Then apply for jobs in area. Hopefully get interviews and a job offer within a month. -apply to US for TN visa, send license and job offer. Apply for social insurance number? (I used to live in the US when I was aged 10-14, not sure if i would have had a SSN) I am also not sure if I apply for visa first, or SSN first? -Get VISA/SSN, start working, earn an awesome reputation as a good nurse the employer wants t sponsor. -Beg manager to sponsor greencard, ~3-6 months after starting working hopefully get green card. -Work with greencard for at least a year or two, then consider going back to school (maybe) with current Florida Residency. Is this realistic?

Wow, I must have all my information wrong then? I thouht that the TN visa was pretty easy to get as a Canadian RN, and then you would go down there, get your license, and then apply for jobs WITH the TN visa? I thought that the HB-1 visa is the one that leads to a green card, and allows you to establish residency. I should add a bit more to my story. It would be VERY important for me to establish my residency and eventually obtain citizenship as I am just about done with living in Canada. I grew up in both Canada, the US, and the UK, so I don't really have any allegiance to one coutry per se. I want to likely move to the US permenantly, and then become a canadian EX-pat so I am no longer a Canadian resident so I no longer have to pay taxes in Canada (I believe if I work in the US as a Canadian Citizen, I pay US taxes and then they evaluate my taxes in Canada and the Canadian government charges me the difference). I can get by with 45% taxes when I'm making 100k a year in Canada, but I can't get ahead in Florida making 50-60k/year with 45% taxes! I also am really considering going back to school to either do my Psych Nurse Practitioner or Clinical Psychology within the next 5 years. From my research into Florida specifically, it seems that you need to have an immigration visa (I believe HB-1 is on the list, but not TN) to establish your residency for tuition purposes. Having Florida residency makes admissions easier, as well as much lower tuition, so it would be a shame if i lived there for 5 years then had to pay out of state/country tuition.

Thanks for the info, I'll start looking.

I know that they are valid for up to 3 years, but could I apply for a HB-1 with my current employer at the time with the rationale that I am going with a TN to see if I like living in the US first, and if I do then I would appply for a HB-1? My understanding is that you get a TN visa without finding an employer first, while the HB-1 requires an employer? I figured it would be 100x easier getting hired if they don't need to do a bunch of extra paperwork for me.

Hey everyone. I have a few questions regarding possibly immigrating to the US from Canada. I have about 4 years RN experience,mostly mental health, and am planning on moving to the US (likely Florida) in the next few months. I am a dual UK.Canadian citizen, and have lived in the US when I was younger for 4 years. My plan is to apply for licensing in Florida, write my NCLEX, get a TN visa, then apply for jobs. If I liked it there, I was going to see if I could get my employer to sponsor an HB-1 visa and live there for a very long time. I was wondering if this process is possible, or if I need to wait for my TN visa to expire? I was also wondering if my TN visa would count for me establashing residency? I am seriously considering going back to school in the next five years, and I chose Florida because it has tons of options in the fields that I am looking (Nurse Practitioner or Clinical Psychologist) and relatively affordable tuition once your state residency has been established. Have any Canadians done this on here? I am also curious as to how taxes work, such as do I stop paying Canadian taxes (in addition to US) after I have an HB-1 visa? Thanks in advanced for any info!

Thanks for the info guys. I've already researched the pet thing, so that's why I want to make my commitment to hawaii before filling out the paperwork. I just don't want to spend all the money and hassle of getting my license and bringing my pets over, just to find out there are no jobs. Anyone had any experiences with this?