Snowleopard

If you are ready to rock and roll after 1 day of orientation, I would suggest to go with nursing agency. Plenty of opportunities right now. The pay is good. You do not have to relocate if hospitals in your area getting travelers onboard right now.

At my facility in Western Mass we are expected to use the same N95 for the entire shift. But now they want us to use one N95 per WEEK. If it gets to that point - I am out.

I know people who did that and I think that's not a bad idea. This way you know if you like the place and they know if they like you. This is a good, low risk option, in my opinion.

If you have your BSN from the U.S. college, did you apply for your OPT? If so, you will get one year of employment authorization, and then one more year once you finish your MSN. The catch her is that you have started you MSN already, and because of that, you are possibly ineligible for post-BSN OPT anymore, because resuming your studies toward a higher degree automatically invalidates your eligibility for OPT. I would suggest to look into WOCN certification, which will make you eligible for H-1B.

candabeth, I think the agency people gave you a really bad advice. First of all, you can't just apply for a green card. You need a sponsoring employer willing to wait for you for at least 5 years. Second, E3 is a non-immigrant visa, and I think it will be problematic to obtain it if you show your immigration intend.

Meriwhen, if you read the document you provided, med-surg ratio may not exceed 1:5, not 1:6.

I absolutely agree with Silverdragon102. Forget about agencies, find a job on E3 visa, and your employer is likely to sponsor you for a Green Card. Some hospitals will pay all the fees, some will ask you to pay. Basically, they have to file form I-140 first. This way you establish your priority date. When I-140 get approved, you probably will have to wait for 4-5 years (working for the same employer) until your priority date gets current (google "Visa Bulletin). Once you are current, you have to file I-485. No need to hire a lawyer for that one. Just read the instructions carefully and provide the documents required. Basically, you can find the filing cost on USCIS website. They charge for i-140 and i-485. Lawyer fees for I-140 are probably around 2K. By the law, your employer has to pay that one. I would recommend not to hire a lawyer for i-485, it's straightforward and there is no need to spend extra 2K. If you have a spouse or dependent children, they have to file I-485 too. P.S. The cost of PR visa to Australia is not any less ridiculous. I spent about 4.5K for the visa alone. Plus licensing fees (AHPRA fees, license verification fees), plus ANMAC fees, plus IELTS fees, plus notary fees, plus fingerprints. Could you share what kind of nursing experience do you have, and why do you want to move to the US from Australia?

As others suggested, you have to call nursing schools and ask. Even better, if you could go there and ask. If you want to get OPT (Optional practical training) and SSN you must switch to F-1. In this case: -The college of your choice must be accredited and eligible to issue I-20. -Nursing school must accept international students. -You must take 12 or more units every semester, only 3 units/semester can be taken online. -You must demonstrate that you have enough money to get yourself through the school (if you spouse works in the U.S., that will be accepted too). -You must take TOEFL.

Neither I said "they" are in demand, nor I said it will be easy. Until their education is evaluated as equivalent to the U.S. BSN and they become WOC certified in the U.S., they are not eligible anyway. So no point for me to name specific places that have openings for WOC nurses now. The United States are big, and there are always options available for those who are persistent and didicated. I only provided the direction, if they are interested, they can do some further research, conduct job search, and market themselves. Got it?

The question was not about your area. Immigrants are more flexible and are more likely to relocate comparing to the US citizen and LPRs. Believe it or not, there are areas where WOC nurses are in demand.

Labor certification for H1-B is much simpler than for Green Card. I think it is quite obvious that if there is an employer willing to sponsor a WOC nurse, there are no other qualified candidates.

If you are talking about H-1B, that is not true. One may get H-1B with 0 experience, like in case with BSN and WOC certification.

If you get cetrified in Wound and Ostomy Care, you will be eligible for H-1B, because this is the only specialty of nursing that requires you to possess BSN.

I would suggest to finish your ADN, get your OPT, finish BSN, get your OPT, get your certificate in Wound and Ostomy care from the accredited school. That will make you eligible for H-1B 100%

In case somebody does not know, the House of Representatives has passed "Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2011" (HR 3012) which eliminates per-country quotas in employment based categories and increases per-country caps in family based categories from 7% to 15%. The total number of visas does not increase. This means that if the Bill passes Senate and becomes a law, 85% to 100% of all visas will go to India and China (because there are the most retrogressed). The rest 15% - 0% will be shared among all others. This will create a huge retrogression for everybody who is not from India/China. Currently, the Bill is on Hold in Senate and negotiations continue. If this Bill become a law, people from countries other than India and China will have to wait for additional 5 - 10 years for their priority date to become current. If you don't like this idea, contact Senators (especially Harry Reid and Chuck Grassley) and express your opposition to the Bill. http://www.reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm http://www.grassley.senate.gov/constituents/Copy-of-contact.cfm