Relocating to USA

CA will not accept application without a US SSN. So will have to look at another state first and meet their requirements for International trained and then sit and pass NCLEX. Then the hard work starts by looking for a employer who will go the visa route either H1b or immigrant. H1b unless not affected by cap means filing in April with Oct start and competing with other professions and must be BSN at a minimum (or 12 years experience) and the job must be for BSN. If immigrant then look up retrogression and see how many years you will have to wait. If Irish citizen you may have the chance to apply in the lottery however no guarantee you will be successful.

Also suggest checking out the CA state forum under the US tab above and see what the job situation is like for the area you want to live and work in

Here 'ya go...straight from the horse's mouth sorta speaking:

http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/pressrelease/NurseMemo_112702.pdf

Print it out, sit down with a cup of java (or two) and read it--and it's painful to read (legalesque).

The short on it (as I read it and I might be wrong so keep that in mind):

Back in '08 USCIS summed it up this way:

" while general RN positions are not H1B eligible, nurses in the following positions qualify for H1B: (1) Advanced practice nurses, (2) Nurses in administrative positions, and (3) Nurses in certain nursing specialties. Thus, nurses who wish to obtain H1B visas have to be petitioned only in those three RN positions, but not in general RN positions."

Teasing out which specialties and whether your specialty is acceptable is something that you'll have to do. I believe that peri-operative, ED, Occ Health, and a few others are acceptable (IF!) the entity hiring ONLY hires those nurses with BSNs. The BSN is a core element here.

It'll require some work on your part to see if you qualify and then "if" the cap (#of H-1B's allowed) has been filled or not.

Then if you qualify, you must jump through the hurdles, but hey, we've all done that, though yours' might be a bit more complex.

I have to chuckle--I'm Occ RN and can't find a job, and yet H-1B's are being allowed for that category.

I also own an apartment house and recently advertised and an (East) Indian fellow came to see it with a friend. He and his friend was fascinating to talk to--they are both here as IT Professionals on H-1B. They pretty much came out and said: "Well, we know that we are paid only about 60% of what we should be paid, as compared to American workers in our field, but we're happy--60% just suits us fine".

And in America we keep advertising: Become a nurse--there are endless opportunities. Yes, there are, and the pay scale drops and drops in some areas. In the Deep South I've heard of entry level RNs being paid ~$14/ hour.

Good luck.