visa screen renewal - documents

[amulam]

My visa screen certificate will expire in the end of June 2013. I recently started OPT as an NP, and my employer began the process of sponsoring me for a Green Card (currently waiting on the prevailing wage determination). According to my lawyer, I should not have to renew my visa screen, because the process should be complete before it expires (I'm in the ROW category). However, it is still making me nervous, as I would hate for anything to get delayed and then being held up even more due to an expired visa screen. Therefore, I would like to still go ahead and renew it.

I repeatedly read online that the renewal does not require as many documents and is a lot easier than the original application. I completed the online application up to the point where I'm supposed to print all the forms, and I just don't see that it asks for any less information. I'm supposed to re-submit all my transcripts (including the foreign ones, which are a pain to get). Is it normal to have to re-submit everything? Or what is usually required for the renewal? I imagines I would just have to provide proof that my RN license is still valid, and maybe proof of the BSN and MSN degrees I did in the meantime. Maybe someone who has done the renewal before can offer some insight. Thanks!

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

I was never in a situation where I had to renew a VSC. I did get mine back in the 90's which led to my approval for a Green Card and eventual US citizenship 5 years later. It was a long process that I never wanted to look back on. I highly recommend renewing your VSC especially since you don't have a Green Card on hand yet. Any question you have regarding the process should be directed to CGFNS. It's a pain but just go with the flow...it's a long bureaucratic process we all went through.

[RNGrad2006]

I had to renew my Visa Screen already once since the process is sooooo much longer than it was in the 90s. The information I read about appeared to require all the same information but in the end all I had to do was send a verification from my State Board of my RN license and a photo. It was a quick and easy process. And I agree with the previous poster. Even if you end up not needing it I would go ahead and renew it as you would hate to have any issues come up especially when you are so close to finally achieving your goal of a green card. Or you could wait a few months since the process for the visa screen is actually a lot faster for renewal than it was the original visascreen. I spoke with an attorney recently and she stated the process start to finish for ROW should take about 3.5 months for a green card.

[amulam]

Yes, I went ahead and renewed it in the meantime. Although it looked like I needed to submit all the same documents as for the original application, once I managed to talk to someone from CGFNS, I found out I really needed only a verification of my license and an updated transcript. So the online renewal process was very misleading. - Then, before I ever even submitted any documents, I was surprised to get my renewed visa screen in the mail.

RNGad2006, 3.5 months from start to finish? The prevailing wage determination alone took about 6 weeks for me. Processing for I-140 is currently around 4 months (although premium processing for an extra $1,225 reduces it to 2 weeks), and I thought for AOS it's about another 5 months.