Quickest Way for Getting Things Done and Licensed in US

[suzanne4]

As most of you know, I have been recommending initial licensure in NY for quite some time. And for those of you that did not heed the warning, you now know why.

New York is three easy applications only, next you take the NCLEX exam, then you get a hard license and can endorse to almost any state afterwards. Because of the requirements of the Special Credentials Verification for New York, you do not have to do any of the running around to obtain your documents. CGFNS will obtain them for you....after you sign the release and send them the money.

NY also requires two short classes that can be done on-line, one on Child Abuse, and the other on Infection. Both are available for about $15 each and take only one hour or so.

NY BON application can be found at http://www.op.nyed.gov. You only need to submit "Form 1."

The Special Credentials Verification can be found at http://www.CGFNS.org, as well as the Visa Screen Application.

Once you have received documentation from NY that your credentials have been received and approved, submit payment to Pearson-Vue for the NCLEX exam. http://www.perasonvue.com. They are the ones that will actually send you the ATT letter, upon approval of the Board of Nursing. Be aware that this ATT (authorization to test) is only good for ninety (90) days. You will have onlt that amount of time to get the exam done in, otherwise you will lose your payment and have to start again.

Hope that this helps................ :balloons:

Most importantly, NY will issue you the license without a Social Security Number.

[suzanne4, RN]

If you are going to work in Texas, then you would not be using Vermont processing. Processing means immigration, not for the license. They are completely two separate things.

[suzanne4, RN]

If you are doing things the legal and correct way, you will all have the green card before leaving Germany.

[Mieke]

If you are doing things the legal and correct way, you will all have the green card before leaving Germany.

Thanks for letting me know. That the cert. evaluation and NCLEX and VisaScreen are the basics for finding work. Those I handle via CGFNS and the state board of nursing. Some say I would need the BCLS or even the ACLS???

Then I have to find an employer/sponsor. Right? They have to file with DOL and then the immigration form with UCIS. Please correct me any point along the way. Within that time I will live and reside in Germany? What employer is going to hire s.o. who will be available for work maybe months later when the visas are approved??? Or do some go to the US to interview, file for a change of status and wait approval of the permanent visa there?? The liscensing is clear now, but how to proceed from there....will the employer also be the sponsor to the children's visas or will they get a different category visas?

Hope I get some light shed on this....flying back and forth on a monthly basis is going to be rather costly :)

Eva

[suzanne4, RN]

ACLS and BCLS will be done in the US. English exams and NCLEX, then you will receive the Visa Screen Certificate after you have applied and completed those two exams. Once you have passed the NCLEX and English, you will employers that will sponsor you. Your children will be getting dependent green cards, filed at the same time as yours.

If you come to the US, and get sponsored while you are here, be aware that you will not be permitted to leave the country until after you have the green card in hand. And you will not be able to begin work for 60 to 90 days form the time that the documents are filed on your behalf.

[lawrence01]

ACLS and BCLS will be done in the US. English exams and NCLEX, then you will receive the Visa Screen Certificate after you have applied and completed those two exams. Once you have passed the NCLEX and English, you will employers that will sponsor you. Your children will be getting dependent green cards, filed at the same time as yours.

If you come to the US, and get sponsored while you are here, be aware that you will not be permitted to leave the country until after you have the green card in hand. And you will not be able to begin work for 60 to 90 days form the time that the documents are filed on your behalf.

Hi Suzanne. I already trained in ACLS in the Phil. Heart Center. Is this valid or do I have to undergo it again in the U.S.? How about other training programs such as advance IV theraphy, etc.. done here in the Phil.? I'm asking this 'coz there's a company here in the Phil. that say that there training programs are internationally accepted. Thanks. :)

[Mieke]

ACLS and BCLS will be done in the US. English exams and NCLEX, then you will receive the Visa Screen Certificate after you have applied and completed those two exams. Once you have passed the NCLEX and English, you will employers that will sponsor you. Your children will be getting dependent green cards, filed at the same time as yours.

If you come to the US, and get sponsored while you are here, be aware that you will not be permitted to leave the country until after you have the green card in hand. And you will not be able to begin work for 60 to 90 days form the time that the documents are filed on your behalf.

Thank you soooo much. This really sheds some light on all of this. Will arrange for English test appointment next week and have original documents translated. And no....I won't practice for the English test :) Thanks again, Mieke :)

[nurse_anne]

hello to everyone and to suzanne, its nice to know that there is such a great website and a forum like this which can help a lot of nurses everywhere. i am a new rn, and like others too, i'm really confused what move to make after getting my licensed. i posted a query about new jersey because that was my original plan, but after reading a lot of threads here, i've realize that it better for me to take ny, so here goes my status and plan, hope you can help me make the right move. thanxs a lot!!!

- i graduated last march 2005 @ philippines

- passed the local board exam last june :)

- got my license # last august 10, but not yet the hard copy of my license which would be release this october 4

- i applied for cgfns exam for november 2005, but my problem is i only filed my application form and the form from my school last july 27, before august 10, which is the deadline of cgfns, but not the registration/validation of license because i was scheduled to be registered last august 10 only, so i filed the registration/ validation of license that day, prc told me it will take 2-3 weeks for the mailing process.

- it's about 4 weeks after i filed my application form, and still i didn't receive any confirmation letter from cgfns and also the cgfns id #.

- i am worried, that i wouldn't be able to make it this november 9,

- do you think i would be able to be rostered this november or in march?

- do you think i made the right move taking the cgfns exam even i apply for ny bon, thinking i will be needing it when i plan to take endorsement to other state like nj, once i'm there, or it wouldn't help at all?

- when will i file for the visa screen? after taking cgfns or nclex exam?

- i am planning to take nclex exam for ny state.

- i am still waiting for my cgfns # before applying for cvs, so they wouldn't be confused looking for my files.

or it's better i wouldn't wait for my cgfns # and send my cvs application now, even without my #, but still check the box that i had applied to other programs of cgfns)

- i am planning to send my application form to ny bon.

- is it ok to file my application maybe november because my friend told me, it only take 2-4 weeks for the processing, or its better to file the cvs and ny application at the same time?

- then, i'll take my ielts exam this december.

- when i get my eligibility from ny, then i will apply for pearson vue for my att, maybe march.

is it ok to apply for pearson vue around february even without eligibility from ny? or will i wait for my eligibility first?

- do you think i made the right move?

thank you very much!

[nayeli0016]

Hi, just an additional question, Suzanne is it true that application for NY BON takes a relatively long time which is why some agencies prefer nurses to take CGFNS so they can start the visa screen application ASAP? Because as far as I know, some nurses are thinking of taking the CGFNS to start the immigrant visa petitioning, so when the time comes their application to sit for the NCLEX exam is approved then most probably their immigrant visa application is approved also... So far NM BON is the fastest which takes like a month or so, while other states that don't require the CGFNS but have have CES can take a long long time also before the nurses can even receive their ATT.

[suzanne4, RN]

NM requires the CES.

An agency can tel you what ever they want you to do, NY doens' t take that long, usually about three to four months and that is for the ATT to sit for the exam, and you have all documents in for the Visa Screen as well.

Now you do the math.............for the CGFNS exam, you must have all required documents in to them at least 90 days before the exam, inlcuding your transcripts from your school, etc. Then you sit for the exam, then it takes another month before you even know if you pass the exam, so you have spent an extra few hundred dolars plus preparation for an exam that is nothing like the NCLEX exam. And you are nofarther ahead then from when you started.

If you can afford to take the NCLEX exam before you arrive in the US, then there is absolutely no reason to take the time to write the CGFNS exam.

This is my opinion and I am sticking to it. That is also why many states no longer require the CGFNS exam, only the CES exam. Too much time is wasted.

[NextSummer]

Very easy to make up the hours, they just have to be in an approved school of nursing.............I don't think that you will have any issue if MN accepted them. :)

Hi Suzanne,

It's me again. I searched some local community college websites around my place, and it's not easy to find a course to make up my pediatric clinical hours. They have RN postgraduate certificate courses, but the thing is that I have to take at least 2 courses before being able to register practicum courses. Then it takes almost a year to make up. Isn't it so unfair to go to school one more year after BSN...? Also, the clinical hours in such certificate programs are not that intensive. Some are just 30 something hours of clnical.

Do you have any idea about that? CA asks me to submit breakdown of my educational program, and this makes me worry a little. (MN does not require such a form.)

I wish I could make up some possibly missing courses before applying for my license. If I could do that, then where can I document that in the CA lisence application? They seem to ask only for profesional registered nursing school records.

By the way, neonatal intensive care is considered as pediatrics or obstetrics?

How about breast feeding certificate courses? It is definitely ob, right?

Thanks so much. :rotfl:

Breast feeding classes are not going to count towards your clinical hours. My suggestion is to submit what you have and see what they say............

NICU is under peds, not maternal health.

[reyaguilar]

I'm in Phoeniz AZ and taking up ADN in a college. I will be graduating (God willing) this December2005. Meanwhile, I took and passed the LPN NCLEX. My problem is: I'm not a US citizen. I have an F1 visa and my SS "prohibits" me from working. What should I do after graduation? Should I get an immigration lawyer to help me change status? Can I apply for residency while still an LPN?

[suzanne4, RN]

You cannot do anything as far as immigration with the LPN license. I would have told you just to skip it. You must have the RN behind your name, and pass the NCLEX-RN before anyhting can be processed for you. You will also need to have a Visa Screen Certificate, and you cannot even apply for this until you have a completed set of transcripts from an RN program.