visa screen?

suzanne4, RN · Jul 12, 2004

Hi,
I am currently a full-time student in US(not in nursing). I got my BSN in China and I have got my RN license here. I want to graduate soon and begin to work as a nurse and apply for H-1C and green card. Do I need to do visa screen? currently I hold a F-1 visa.
Thanks,
haa

You do not want an H1-C, you only want the green card. You are a US citizen and did not attend nurisng school in the US, so YES you will need a Visa Screen Certificate. You may also be required to sit for the English exams since you did your nurses training in China.

You probably need to speak to an immigration lawyer before you finish school.

Being on an F-1 visa allows you to work for up to one year in the area that you went to school in to get more experience, however, you already have your BSN from another country. And your degree that you received here is another area. You will not be able to put in for a change of status until you actually have the Visa Screen Certificate in hand, and that usually takes about four months if you haven't already submitted the paperwork. Then it is about three months from that point until you receive your EAD letter which permits you to work. And you will need an employer to petition for you.

You actually should have applied for your Visa Screen Certificate months ago, you need it now for any type of temporary permit.....sorry for the bad news.

VJenny · Jul 12, 2004

Hi Suzanne,

So normally how long should a foreign student apply for the Visa Screen before the graduation from the nursing school? Many thanks.:)

Jenny

You actually should have applied for your Visa Screen Certificate months ago, you need it now for any type of temporary permit.....sorry for the bad news.

suzanne4, RN · Jul 13, 2004

In your case, since you will be attending school for nursing in the US, you cannot apply until after you have graduated, as your final transcript has to be submitted for them to even consider. You will be able to apply for OPT, which allows you to get one year training after graduating, while you are waiting for your green card. But you must apply for that before you graduate, in the last few months, if you wait until after, then it is too late.

In this particular nurse's case, she graduated a few years ago, and is getting a degree in area, not nursing. She should have taken care of this several months back, as according to the law, OPT status is just to gain experience in the area in which you got your degree in the US. It takes about 4 months to receive the Visa Screen Certificate once they have received the exam results, then 90 days for an EAD letter which permits work while papers are being processed. Whether the rules get bent in her case, I am not an attorney, but according to the law, she would have to wait the 7 months.