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Discussion

Visa Screen

  • Experts

To all of you that hope to work in the US:

1. Complete Visa Screen paperwork as soon as possible. This will be a requirement starting in July, so think how much busier CGFNS is going to get.

2. Whoever tells you not to worry about English, just go to California and take the NCLEX exam, is 100% wrong. Sure, you can get a license but none of the hospitals are hiring without you being able to pass your English exams. Especially the "Speaking" section. Unless your idea of working in the US is to be doing something other than being a nurse. Plus then you would no longer have 2 years of current work experience.

3. So please keep all of this in mind when you decide to listen to a recruiter. You should come first, not putting money in their pockets. Think of what you really want to be doing....................

4. Finally, in order to get a Visa Screen certificate to take to the Embassy, you must have English skills equivalent to that of a native speaker. It can be done, but you will have to put the time and effort into it.

Good luck to all of you and may you be successful in your goals.

Featured Replies

Congrats for passing the IELTS.

Now, for your question. Suzanne and I do not recommend CA for initial licensure because of these factors: 1) takes about 4-6 mos just for the eligibility letter, 2) takes another 3-4 weeks for you to have the letter for the results, and 3) no US SSN - no hard license. What people do is go the route of either NM or VT because they want to take the NCLEX ASAP and can have the results w/in 24-48 hours then use the proof of passing the NCLEX to start the petition process. The nurse then just endorse his NM or VT license via nursys to CA BRN.

However, I want to go back to your time-frame. The above statements are good to follow if you are intent in following-up on everything. I am saying this because I have been noticing a lot lately that people going the NM and VT route are not taking advantage on the relatively faster processing for NCLEX eligibility. They applied for these BON to be able to sit for the NCLEX ASAP but as soon as they get their eligibility letter they are actually finding ways to delay themselves in taking the exam. Does not make sense to me at all.

I actually know someone who applied for CA BRN because she has a 1 yr time-frame and another who applied for VT. They applied at almost the same time BTW. Needless to say, the one who applied for VT got her eligibility 1st BUT she keeps delaying herself in taking the NCLEX. She did not register to pearson-vue right away and when she finally registered she did not make an appointment right away either. She keeps finding ways in not taking the NCLEX while the former who applied for CA BRN who received her eligibility only after 6 mos registered and and made an appointment right away. To make the long story short, the one who applied for CA BRN actually got her results ahead of time than the other one.

So, if you're going the NM/VT route make sure that you review for your NCLEX while waiting for the eligibility letter and register and make an appointment right away as soon as you find out that you were made eligible already to fully take advantage of the relatively faster processing time for you to sit for the NCLEX. There will be an additional 1-3 mos lag time after registering to pearson-vue because of the scarcity of slots on the asia-pacific testing centers so you have more than adequate time to review properly during those in-between period (waiting for eligibility letter - your final exam schedule).

Goodluck.:nuke:

  • Experts

Hey a quick question I have a Uk nurse friend who has the green card because of her marriage but hasnt done the NCLEX yet, she got approval from the CGFNS what does she need to do next-she already lives here.

At a guess I would think she just has to get her eligibility to test from the BON she wants, pass her N-CLEX RN then jump through any other hoops that they want her too - at least she won't be affected by retrogression etc!! :-)

okay thank you so much lawrence!!:smilecoffeecup:

At a guess I would think she just has to get her eligibility to test from the BON she wants, pass her N-CLEX RN then jump through any other hoops that they want her too - at least she won't be affected by retrogression etc!! :-)

Yep, that's pretty much what's left to do. Doesn't need the VisaScreen either since she's already a US citizen via marriage.

Hi Suzanne4,

My wife was denied TN visa at Dorval airport in Montreal. She did had a letter for employment in California and her California board of nurses RN card but not visa screen certificate. She already went over the visa screen with the California board of nurses.

Is the California board of nurses responsible for issuing a visa screen certificate ?

  • Author
  • Experts

Visa Screen Certificate is issued thru CGFNS/ICHP. She will not be given a TN Visa until she has that document in her hand and can present it at the border.

This is a separate document from the license and is used strictly for immigration purposes. She is required to pass either the NCLEX-RN exam or the CGFNS exam to be able to get that certificate. And depending on where she attended school, if in Montreal, and it was not 100% in English, she will also be required to write the English exam series to be able to get the VSC. I am quite surprised that her future employer did not give her this information, they should have made sure that she was aware of it.

She will need to have the CA BRN submit proof of her passing the exam to ICHP by completing the form that comes with the application and sending it in for her. The fee that CA charges is $60 US for this service.

It usually takes about four weeks to get the Certificate if she graduated from a Canadian school. But there is nothing to do to speed up the process.

Hope that this helps..............I am sure that it is not information that you wish to hear.

Hi Suzanne4,

She passed the RN Nclex exam and received her active RN card from the Board of California nurses. she also has a full letter from the USA employer waiting for her to work in the OR for May 21 2007.

At this time she's in the plane bound to LAX where I study. She was very upset about that new surprise. We are from a French speaking province and she graduated from the nurse school in Quebec, Montreal.

No one ask anything about the CGFNS or the TOEFL. Even myself I didn't need to site at the test since I was in the Canadian army and the college consider me as bilingual.

We were told that California was seeking nurses very badly. HR from the hospital called my wife to tell her that her interview was successfully passed and they were waiting for her right now ^$&^%*^ What is going on ?

Fishbowl

  • Author
  • Experts

There is not one thing that the hospital can do. They cannot overstep a requirement of US immigration. And I am sorry, but they are well aware that all foreign nurses need the VSC, and that is from Canada as well.

There was a big issue about two years ago when this became mandatory for the Canadians, and why everyone was running around. They had about a year to get one and have it in hand when they would need to renew their TN Visa or even get one the first time. There was alot of complaining back then. And it got done.

She needs to go to the website for the Visa Screen Certificate and have a look at the requirements. Since she has passed the NCLEX-RN, that is one step that is done for her. And she did her training in Montreal, she is also going to need to complete the English exams to get the VSC. It is not waived for her if her courses were not 100% in English. Their website is www.cgfns.org

She is not going to be able to work until she has this VSC in hand. And I highly recommend that she have a talk with this wonderful HR person that did not follow up with her about this.

(and ps Many areas in CA are not that short of nurses)

No matter what the hospital tells her, she does not have a visa that will permit her to work, and that means even starting orientation or anything like that. She will not be able to start when she is expected to.

  • Author
  • Experts

The requirements are based on where the nursing curriculum was completed, and the requirement is that if not 100% in English in Canada, the English exams are required. And the choice is the IELTS series or the TOEFL series.

Please send me a pm with the name of this facility, and if she went thru an agency or was a direct hire.

Just click on my user name and it will say to contact me via pm or e-mail.

Hi Suzanne4,

She passed the RN Nclex exam and received her active RN card from the Board of California nurses. she also has a full letter from the USA employer waiting for her to work in the OR for May 21 2007.

At this time she's in the plane bound to LAX where I study. She was very upset about that new surprise. We are from a French speaking province and she graduated from the nurse school in Quebec, Montreal.

No one ask anything about the CGFNS or the TOEFL. Even myself I didn't need to site at the test since I was in the Canadian army and the college consider me as bilingual.

We were told that California was seeking nurses very badly. HR from the hospital called my wife to tell her that her interview was successfully passed and they were waiting for her right now ^$&^%*^ What is going on ?

Fishbowl

I am a Canadian but went to school in the US and still had to go through the process of Visascreen in order to work here. There is no way of getting around Visascreen if you are foreign born. It was a lot of money and frustrating since I went to school in the US but nothing you can do. My US education still had to be assessed to match a US education. And it took about 3 months to process even though I went to school in the US.

Hello to everyone,

My wife arrived at LAX last night under my student visa. We did received her certificate from the California board of nurses. Here is the problem...Upon arriving at Dorval Airport she was asking a TN visa and the custom clerk gave her the paper indicating the multiple points she had to comply in order to get the TN visa. She present her California board of nurses card and the custom clerk ask the paper certificate.

The paper given by the custom clerk to my wife is title;

What you need to present to obtain your TN Status permit

1. Proof from employer indicating the salary arrangement and length of stay etc

2. Proof of ability to perform such work in the form of licenses, diplomas, degrees, certificates, membership in a professional organization, or documented work experience. Degrees, diplomas, or certificates received by you from an educational institution not located within Canada, Mexico, or the United States must be accompanied by a reliable credentials evaluation service, which specializes in evaluating foreign educational credentials.

3. Proof of Canadian citizenship

4. 50.00$

This information was provided by USCIS !

On the other hand the Certificate we receive by mail after we received her official card is an official paper from the State of California Board of Registered nurses. Yesterday she didn't had this paper with her since we received it when she was on a trip in Montreal.

To whom these presents shall come greetings;

My wife name

Possession the qualification established by law and having satisfactorily complied with the requirements of the California board of Registered Nursing is hereby granted this certificate of REGISTERED NURSE

The rest etc, etc, etc,

All with the California seal and my wife Licenses number from the California Board of Registered Nurses.

I think that if she had this paper at the custom gate the TN would have been granted. Anyone can shed light on this one ?

Fishbowl

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