Visa Screen Certificate / CGFNS

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Visa Screen Certificate is required by all foreign nurses wishing to obtain a green card to work in the US, as well as any type of temporary work permit, such as the Nafta TN Visa for those from Canada and Mexico.

It requires that you pass either the NCLEX-RN or the CGFNS exam, as well as the series of English exams if you are not exempt from them.

The CGFNS exam is only required now in about five states, and rumor is that one or two will be removed from that remaining list as well. Do not bother with that exam if you are not going to work in a state that does not require it, or you have no way to be able to take the NCLEX exam from where you are currently located.

The application for the VSC is now only good for one year.........please do not apply for it until you have passed at least one of the required exams, or you may need to pay an additional fee.

(This thread is replacing the original thread that was from more than 2 and 1/2 years ago, and has updated information.)

if someone took NLE last december, 2006(not the controversial one) and failed but passed NClex-california, is he eligible for visa screen too?

Suggest that he retake that exam. No hospital is going to hire him without having passed that exam if he took it. If he never took it, then there would not be any issue. And with the retrogression right now, no employers are doing anything, everything is standing still. Employers are not paying for the visa bill until they know when things are over. Suggest that your friend retake that exam.

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my friend's daughter that i mentioned in a previous thread who was able to pass Nclex last dec 18 and was hired as a nurse in a convalescent home in CA since jan 2007 was able to get her CA BRN license using TIN last feb 9, 2007. her lawyer must be a topnotch one since she was just 3 months in the US last jan.

i knew of many nclex passers with tourist visa who got their license only after they got their work permit authority.

my friend is bent on letting her daughter stay in the US until all her immigration papers will be okay as promised by her agency. some friends advised him to let her daughter come home while retrogression is still up, but he said the hospital will do the paperworks. so this week, she filed for her VISA SCREEN knowing fully well that she passed and has a license in the june 2006 nle. still they will take the chance getting the visacreen inspite of the stand of CGFNS. i just can't imagine how they can get away with it and get the needed visascreen. she wont come home and take the boards again.

if and when she will be able to get a visascreen inspite of the odds, i will let you know. How she will do it, we can just speculate . Filipinos are known to be getting things the filipino way. Is it ingenuity? Hope all nurses will follow the legal way of doing things. and I salute you suzanne for helping and inspiring us to do things the legal and easy way.

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my friend's daughter that i mentioned in a previous thread who was able to pass Nclex last dec 18 and was hired as a nurse in a convalescent home in CA since jan 2007 was able to get her CA BRN license using TIN last feb 9, 2007. her lawyer must be a topnotch one since she was just 3 months in the US last jan.

i knew of many nclex passers with tourist visa who got their license only after they got their work permit authority.

my friend is bent on letting her daughter stay in the US until all her immigration papers will be okay as promised by her agency. some friends advised him to let her daughter come home while retrogression is still up, but he said the hospital will do the paperworks. so this week, she filed for her VISA SCREEN knowing fully well that she passed and has a license in the june 2006 nle. still they will take the chance getting the visacreen inspite of the stand of CGFNS. i just can't imagine how they can get away with it and get the needed visascreen. she wont come home and take the boards again.

if and when she will be able to get a visascreen inspite of the odds, i will let you know. How she will do it, we can just speculate . Filipinos are known to be getting things the filipino way. Is it ingenuity? Hope all nurses will follow the legal way of doing things. and I salute you suzanne for helping and inspiring us to do things the legal and easy way.

She won't get her VSC. The CGFNS announcement was very clear that they wont issue to those who have their license via the June 2006 exam and I HOPE she disclosed that she is a June 2006 passer because if not and later found out (and they will) it will be revoked on the basis of fraud and if they also find out that she has been doing illegal things as well then she will be deported sooner or later.

Your friend is getting her daughter to more trouble and she is very deep into it already.

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Further information on February 14 announcement

BY: Barbara L. Nichols, Chief Executive Officer, Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS International)

PHILADELPHIA, PA — FEBRUARY 20, 2007 — The VisaScreen® Certification Program is a federally mandated immigration screening program for certain foreign health professionals seeking an occupational visa to the United States. CGFNS is designated by U.S. immigration law to administer this program. Pursuant to its mandate under Section 212(a)(5)© of the U.S. Immigration Nationality Act, CGFNS has determined that those Philippine nurses who were sworn in as licensed nurses in the Philippines following their passing the compromised June 2006 licensure examination are not eligible for the issuance of a VisaScreen certificate. CGFNS has further determined that the June 2006 passers are able to overcome this bar and qualify for issuance of a VisaScreen certificate by taking the equivalent of Tests 3 and 5 on a future Philippine nursing exam.

Link to whole article:

http://www.cgfns.org/sections/about/news/news/2007/02-20-07_philippines.shtml

Moderator's note: Pls. do not copy and paste the whole article. Just quote a couple of impt. paragraphs or make a synopsis then just provide a link for the whole article. Thanks.

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And this is exactly what I have been saying all along, and it is nice to see CGFNS repeat what I have been posting on the Filipino Forum.

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Dear Suzane4,

May I known if you need to request your BON to provide ICHP with your NCLEX results in the VS application. The VS handbook does not mention this. It tells only the applicants to have there US license validated by the BON.

Amiel

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Dear Suzane4,

May I known if you need to request your BON to provide ICHP with your NCLEX results in the VS application. The VS handbook does not mention this. It tells only the applicants to have there US license validated by the BON.

Amiel

The only way that they can get the results is if you authorize them to send it. In the US, they cannot share information without your written permission. Just send the verification form to the BON to fill out and complete.

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Hi,

I am filling out my vc and the section asking about my education. I have two BSN degrees. Nursing degree from UNLV and community health degree from BYU. Would I classify both of my degrees to the category of "professional" or would I only classify my nursing degree as professional and my community health degree as post secondary non-professional? (I was able to complete my BSN of nursing fast because most of my prerequisite classes transferred to BYU. I only took nursing classes at UNLV)

After reading the cgfns package I was a little confused and I just wanted to confirm that I only need to send the "Request for Academic Records" from to the schools I classify as "professional school". I have attended many schools and I got my associate degree of science from different school than I got my baccalaureate degrees.

In the section where they ask which U.S. visa you plan to obtain from the U.S. government do most nurses request permanent green card?

Any feedback is appreciated. Thank you very much.

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I have one more question. In the place where it asks about "license information" should I mark NO for the question were they ask if the lisence is for the life time (because you could loose your active license if you do not complete the continuing education). Sorry to ask so simple questions but I want to make sure I complete the form right the first time. Thank you for your help.

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I have one more question. In the place where it asks about "license information" should I mark NO for the question were they ask if the lisence is for the life time (because you could loose your active license if you do not complete the continuing education). Sorry to ask so simple questions but I want to make sure I complete the form right the first time. Thank you for your help.

All must be included on the application for VSC as they all deal with patient related issues. Always best to include everything and then let CGFNS/ICHP make the determination if they need it or not.

The only visa that is available to you is the permanent resident, or green card. You need to put that.

Put yes, as a nurse in the US, and working at a hospital, you will get more than enogh hours to meet the requirements. In the past, I got over 150 hours per year until the past couple of years. It is very easy to get them. They are looking to see if you are coming here for two years and returning home afterwards. Remembe that VCS is also required for those in other health care fields that are not RNs and do not get expedited for the green card and can qaulify for the H1-B. RNs cannot get that visa.

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Dear Suzanne4,

I did sent my verification form to CA BON, but ICHP has received only the verified license but not the NCLEX test results. Should I apply for the copy of test results which is another $10 as shown by their sked of fees.

Amiel

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dear Suzanne 4,

Ma'am i am really at a loss on how to handle my license verification request from New Mexico BON for CGFN VisaScreen requirement. NM BON advise they sent it last Jan. 5 but todate, CGFN has not received it. I tried to e-mail to check with NM BON but they have stopped answering after their advise that it had been sent last Jan. 5. I tried calling too but it was in vain because I can only leave a message in an answering machine. Ma'am in cases like this one, do you think I should just send another application for License Verification? With NM BON not replying, I just do not know who to ask on what to do with my need for a license verification. Your advise will truly be appreciated.

with best regards, mary

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