can't reassure wife....

elkpark · Jul 2, 2008

Welcome to allnurses! :balloons:

I am moving your post to the International Nursing forum, as that is where we try to keep all questions/discussion related to immigration and licensure/practice in another country. You can find most all of the information you need about working in the US already posted here. Please look over the existing threads in the International Nursing forum.

Here are links to a few threads of particular interest, to get you started:

https://allnurses.com/forums/f75/star...us-160143.html

https://allnurses.com/forums/f75/lice...ms-301858.html

https://allnurses.com/forums/f75/reli...pe-300512.html

Again, welcome, and best wishes!

Silverdragon102, BSN · Jul 2, 2008

I am new to this forum and I think this is a heaven sent for me as I really need people's opinion on what's best to do though at the end of the day I still have to weigh them and apply the most appropriate one.
This is my scenario. Me and my wife are both nurses from the Philippines who migrated to the UK 8 years ago. We are now both British citizens and lately have been feeling the pressure to move to the US (more and more friends and relatives and settling down well in the US leaving us feeling so isolated). The good news is, the decision to relocate is now mutual( it hasn't been for the last 6 years). The bad news is, visascreen for green card requires us to take english proficiency test which did not go down well with my wife as we got 2 kids she can't be bothered to review for these tests (on top of NCLEX). The implication of this will be me as main applicant for the green card making her as my dependent. Would this mean I will move to the US first (leaving them behind) and petition her and the kids?
Can we not relocate together as a family and have jobs waiting for us both?
Can she not apply for a job whilst in the UK (assuming she pass her nclex and got her SSN#) as my dependent?She hates the idea of coming to the states not knowing she will get a job or not.
We are in a bit of a mess as of the moment as I write this:scrying: if only I can convince her to take the eng. prof. test:cry: it should be less complicated I guess.
Any advice will do.

Moving this the the International forum

If you are the main applicant your wife will get a GC at the same time as long as she is included on your application which mean as long as she is licensed she can start work when you do. With retrogression you are looking at several years wait and may be more as it is done on place of birth not where you have citizenship. In reality she will have plenty of time to do English proficiency once she has meet BON requirements and passed NCLEX unless the BON requires English exam as part of the application for licensure. There are many threads here in the International forum for reading and I suggest looking at retrogression and the sticky called Primer to working in the USA.

Welcome and good luck

suzanne4, RN · Jul 2, 2008

If you are the one that would be petitioned by an employer, then it is only you that has to go thru the procedure for the VSC. Your wife would be coming here as your dependent, but petitioned at the same time as you; not to follow two years later. So do not worry about that at all.

If you have been living in the UK for the past 8 years, quite sure that her skills in the English language will be just fine for here; she has plenty of time to review prior to you having a chance at a green card.

We are under the retrogression at this time, and you are looking at five years plus for a chance at a green card. The US goes by country of birth, not where you are currently living or hold a passport from. Your chances are much higher of being able to get a visa as you both have significant work experience in place already. But you are going to need to be patient and suggest that you do some reading here as was suggested.

Best of luck to you. And please let us know if you have more questions after you do some reading here.