Question about F-1 and CGFNS

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Feb 5, 2012

Hello.
I am a BSN student on a F-1 visa graduating this spring.
I was wondering when I should apply for Visa Screen Certificate/CGFNS as my graduation is approaching.
Also, do I have to wait for CGFNS to go through before taking my NCLEX? or can I still take the NCLEX while CGFNS is processing?
Thank you,

You can take the NCLEX-RN as soon as your school grants your BSN degree and releases your transcript of records to your state's Board of Nursing. This is an application process that is separate from Visa Screen from CGFNS.

CGFNS requires that you have already passed the NCLEX-RN for a Visa Screen Certificate to be granted. You can certainly apply for a Visa Screen by creating an online account with CGFNS anytime but the certificate will not be approved until all the required documents are received by CGFNS including passing the NCLEX-RN.

May I ask how you plan to gain employment eligibility after your F1 visa expires? Aside from OPT, your only option is EB3 Visa which is still under retrogression. OPT requires that you apply 90 days before or 60 days after your graduation. If approved, you can only work for 12 months under OPT.

dayandnight · Feb 5, 2012

I checked the website and it said I need a CES or CP for my state. Is that a separate application process (meaning different application and separate fees) or is that under one big application for CGFNS?

What happens if I get my RN by passing NCLEX but CGFNS does not get approved? Am I not allowed to work as an RN before CGFNS goes through???? Even if I was educated in the US for my bachelor's and for the nursing degree?

" May I ask how you plan to gain employment eligibility after your F1 visa expires? Aside from OPT, your only option is EB3 Visa which is still under retrogression. OPT requires that you apply 90 days before or 60 days after your graduation. If approved, you can only work for 12 months under OPT. "

I don't. I pretty much accepted the reality and decided to look for work elsewhere, in another country. I understand the retrogression, and that the "nursing shortage" is more a slogan schools use to gather students for money.. especially for international students who go into the major not being fully aware of their situations, spend all their money + more just to find out what's really going on like years later.

My university hospital already rejected me from working as a nurse tech/assistant partly because of my F-1 status and the impossibility of getting H1B and green card anyways (this is where I really learned the reality of F1 nursing students). I'm already braced for the reality that will strike me once I graduate. I plan on getting as much experience as I can for my OPT by working in either community sites or rural settings and then use that to find other jobs in other countries.

Thank you for your information :)

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Feb 5, 2012

Since you will be a graduate of a nursing school in the US, you will be able to take the NCLEX-RN without having to go through a credentials evaluation such as CES. Your school should give you direction on how to apply for a license in your state. You will apply for a license just like your classmates who are not on an F1 Visa. Once your state approves your eligibility for a license, you will be asked to register to take the NCLEX-RN. If you pass it, you receive a license. You can work as a nurse under OPT once you receive your license.

CGFNS Visa Screen is only required if you're applying for a Visa such as EB3 or H1B both of which are not a viable option for you. You do not need Visa Screen to get OPT. If your plan is to seek employment in another country other than the US, CGFNS Visa Screen or any other services offered by CGFNS is not going to be necessary. CGFNS documents are only required in the US. If you do get licensed as a nurse in the US, that license is also just valid in the state where you received it. It will not grant you the privilege to practice in a country other than the US. However, it may be required in order to seek licensure by examination in another country.

Good luck to you.