PurpleDelight

I graduated 2 years ago and haven't worked. Do you think I should take a refresher as well? Also live in near NYC area

Sorry for the typos

Thank you so much for your story. Here is mine: My family moved to the US 12 years ago from Nigeria. We all came here with G-1 visas because my father is a Nigerian diplomat. I started 7th grade here and continued through high school and graduated valedictorian. I then applied to college and decided to pursue nursing as my career. In 2009 my G-1 dependent visa was about tot expire so since I was already in college my father made the decision for me to adjust my status to f-1 internantional student visa. He did this in order to keep me here lawfully. At this point my father had already returned to Nigeria but left me, my mother and my siblings here. According to US law we were supposed to go back but he left us here. Anyway, he would still come to visit the states and helped me file my f-1 status (prove of financial ability) and give me checks for my tuition. I stayed as an f-1 student throughout nursing school even though by no means did I feel like a foreigner. I have grown in the US since the 7th grade and cannot even imagine going back. I have established my life here. I graduated nursing school with magna cum laude and passed my boards with 75 questions first try. I was proud to call myself RN. But this was all almost 2 years ago. I had OPT from the f-1 and no hospital will hire me with it. I even went for an interview at an New York City hospital and they said I was one of the best candidates but they do no sponsor. So I thought sponsorship was the issue and I need a sponsor. Guess what. I found two sponsors. I got employed (and still technically) under two home care agencies on Long Island. They both offered to sponsor me. The problem is when I spoke to an immigration lawyer, in order to get sponsored at a certain point during the process I would have to go to Nigeria (country of origin) to process everything before I return. Now in theory that is supposed to work. But the reality is that is it too risky and I may not return back. Also I did not qualify for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) because I was lawfully present when it passed and only those who were unlawfully present on that day June 2012 could qualify. However I did come here as a child by my father and have never left for 12 years (almost 13). But because I was lawful I did not qualify. Now I here I am. A registered nurse immigrant/wannabe American. This is what the immigration system has done to me. There is no law in the US that permits someone who has been here legally for over 10 years to qualify for permanent residency. That is why there are so many visa overstayers. Such law exists in the UK but not here. I figure why deport me if they allowed people just like me to stay (the only difference is they were more illegal than me). So perhaps I should have been illegal sooner and not switch to the F-1 visa. Suppose I should have let my G-1 expire. Believe it or not if I had done the latter, I would have qualified. There is no focus on legal immigration, just illegal.

Yes I was here legally for 12 years. My status expired. The immigration system is so flawed that an education nurse with a BSN who has been here since middle school cannot work. Anyway, the work permit I had was only for a year and no one would hire me with it. Right now I do not have a status. But I have no intention of returning back.

Despite all this I did the best I could to further my education so I chose to go to nursing school. I had some hope that a miracle would happen and I would work but that hope is gone now. And nursing school was basically a waste of time.

that is how messed up the immigration system is. There was nothing I could do. There was no way for me to go from "nonimmigrant" to "permanent resident". The only option was to get married and have my husband petition for me. Well that's not realistic for me because I do not have a husband.

it is not an option. I barely know that place. I haven't been there since age 11. If I did go back it would be total failure on my part. I would be extremely depressed. Also knowing that people who have been here illegally have received work permits makes no sense to me. How come they do not get to go back? Why should I? I was here legally for so long and just finally lost my status. Sorry I do not mean to vent. Just elaborating a little more on my situation.

Hi everyone. I guess this is just me mourning the loss of what I worked so hard for but was taken away from me. I graduated from nursing school on Dec 2012 with my BSN, magna cum laude. Passed the boards April 2013. It has almost been two years and I have yet to work a day as a nurse. Long story short I am an immigrant. I was brought to America at age 11 and I am now almost 24. I had maintained a visa up until this year it expired. I had to let it expire because there is no way to become a permanent resident. If you have ever dealt with the hurdles of America's immigration system you know what I am taking about. I had seen about 15 immigration attorneys. All said the same thing. They told me to find a husband (sigh). I worked so hard to become an RN. And now my heart is broken going through social media looking at pictures and statuses of people who graduated a year after me and are working while I sit at home. These two years have passed by and I have been suffering from depression. I see a counselor but I do not see how this is helping me. I am crying right now because I was once a sharp nursing student but I cannot remember a single medication or side effect or basic nursing care or even diseases. I have literally forgotten everything. I am just mourning the loss of what would have been a great career. Due to immigration laws I am stuck. At this time last year I still had some hope but now I have come to a realization that it wasn't meant to be. I almost had a job at a hospital in NYC last year but once they found out about my status they refused to hire me. Even if by some miracle I was able to work now, I wouldn't even know where to start. I am no longer marketable and I am an old new grad. I am thinking of throwing my license away. This honestly physically hurts. My counselor tells me I am experiencing loss or stages of grief but I do not think I will ever accept it. It is not fair. I worked so hard. I am almost in my mid 20's and have not had a career. Sorry for the long post I just really needed to cry my heart out online because no one in my real life cares.

I graduated from a BSN program in Dec 2012 and passed the boards in April 2 2013. Since then I haven't been able to work in an acute care environment. I got into a home care agency last month and only had a two week case (it was only 5 hours a day giving meds and watching a seizure client). Did I mention that I had no training as a new grad in homecare and they can just throw me to a case (usually an LPN case because they are easier)?. Anyway this homecare agency wants to let me go any because my work permit is expiring (the reason why I could not get a hospital job). So as you can see my problem actually has to do with my immigration status in America and I do not know when that will be solved. I guess you can call me a "DREAMer" when it comes to immigration status. I went through middle/high school and nursing school here but I haven't been able to work because of this. I really love nursing and I graduated with honors and a member of sigma theta tau. Anyway, long story short since I do not know when my status will be valid will an RN refresher course be a good idea. I honestly am beginning to forget everything I learned in school and it sometimes brings me to tears. I use to so articulate and "sharp" when it came to nursing and anyone who knew me in school knew this. They would be surprised to see how I am today. All my friends in nursing have good jobs and I have not spoken to them because I am depressed and it is hard to see people who were on the same boat with succeed when you are not. So if my immigration status gets fixed somehow do you think an RN Refresher course will be a good idea? How long are they?

I know someone whose visa expired while she was in college (Physician's assistant). It was expired for 3 years then she found an employer sponsor. I also know another person who is working in a store and came to the US on an tourist visa (which expired). It has expired for 10 years and her employer filed her green card for her.

Happy new year everyone! I graduated Dec 2012 and passed my boards April 1st. Because I was an international student with OPT employers would not hire me. I went for two hospital job interviews and one of them told me they don't sponsor and that's why they did not hire me. So at the end of the day I could not get a job because I do not have the proper working papers to work in America (Green Card). So you can imagine the heartbreak and tears and setback that I have had to deal with. I had started to lose hope. Finally this December I found a homecare agency that is willing to sponsor me. My OPT is about to expire but I will try and work with an attorney. Now I am about to have my first client this week and it is an "easy" case (no trachs, vents, suctioning, PEG). My question if I ever obtain a green card will I be able to transition into a hospital? Will employers condemn my "home care" experience and see the "gaps in unemployment"? Or will they understand my situation, that I could not find a hospital sponsor? I am 23 years old by the way. I also had plans to go to grad school for NP but only if a hospital would eventually give me a chance.

Happy new year everyone! I graduated Dec 2012 and passed my boards April 1st. Because I was an international student with OPT employers would not hire me. I went for two hospital job interviews and one of them told me they don't sponsor and that's why they did not hire me. So at the end of the day I could not get a job because I do not have the proper working papers to work in America (Green Card). So you can imagine the heartbreak and tears and setback that I have had to deal with. I had started to lose hope. Finally this December I found a homecare agency that is willing to sponsor me. My OPT is about to expire but I will try and work with an attorney. Now I am about to have my first client this week and it is an "easy" case (no trachs, vents, suctioning, PEG). My question if I ever obtain a green card will I be able to transition into a hospital? Will employers condemn my "home care" experience and see the "gaps in unemployment"? Or will they understand my situation, that I could not find a hospital sponsor? I am 23 years old by the way. I also had plans to go to grad school for NP but only if a hospital would eventually give me a chance.

Happy new year everyone! I graduated Dec 2012 and passed my boards April 1st. Because I was an international student with OPT employers would not hire me. I went for two hospital job interviews and one of them told me they don't sponsor and that's why they did not hire me. So at the end of the day I could not get a job because I do not have the proper working papers to work in America (Green Card). So you can imagine the heartbreak and tears and setback that I have had to deal with. Finally this December I found a homecare agency that is willing to sponsor me. My OPT is about to expire but I will try and work with an attorney. Now I am about to have my first client this week and it is an "easy" case (no trachs, vents, suctioning, PEG). My question if I ever obtain a green card will I be able to transition into a hospital? Will employers condemn my "home care" experience and see the "gaps in unemployment"? Or will they understand my situation, that I could not find a hospital sponsor? I am 23 years old by the way. I also had plans to go to grad school for NP but only if a hospital would eventually give me a chance.

Happy new year everyone! I graduated Dec 2012 and passed my boards April 1st. Because I was an international student with OPT employers would not hire me. I went for two hospital job interviews and one of them told me they don't sponsor and that's why they did not hire me. So at the end of the day I could not get a job because I do not have the proper working papers to work in America (Green Card). So you can imagine the heartbreak and tears and setback that I have had to deal with. Finally this December I found a homecare agency that is willing to sponsor me. My OPT is about to expire but I will try and work with an attorney. Now I am about to have my first client this week and it is an "easy" case (no trachs, vents, suctioning, PEG). My question if I ever obtain a green card will I be able to transition into a hospital? Will employers condemn my "home care" experience and see the "gaps in unemployment"? Or will they understand my situation, that I could not find a hospital sponsor? I am 23 years old by the way. I also had plans to go to grad school for NP but only if a hospital would eventually give me a chance.

What did you eventually do? I am in the same situation you were but my OPT expires in 2 months.