Steps involved:
Arka Healthcare provides you full assistance throughout your journey at every step. Two major steps involved to move from another country to the United States are nurse licensing and immigration to the US. These two steps can be further divided into smaller steps. Please continue to read below for full details.
TOEFL/IELTS exam: This may be the first step in your journey to the United States. TOEFL or IELTS is required by nine states for nurse licensing. Few English speaking countries like United Kingdom, Australia, Barbados, Canada (excluding Quebec), Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago may have an exemption for English proficiency test for nurse licensing. Both TOEFL and IELTS tests are usually valid for two years. You can take this test in your last year of nursing school, if you would like to save sometime. TOEFL/IELTS is administered in Prometric centers all over the world.
Credentialing verification: All foreign credentials need to be verified to ensure that they are equivalent to US educational standards. You can apply at Credentials Evaluation Service (CES) of Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) or World Education Service (WES) or Educational Records Evaluation Service (ERES). CES is probably a better option as CGFNS certification is required for Visa Screen (details below) anyway. As it takes few months to get credentialing verification completed, once application is submitted to one of the above agencies, candidates can start preparation for NCLEX exam.
NCLEX exam: Once credentialing verification is complete, application should be submitted to the State Board of Nursing where you would like to practice or pursue further studies. Multiple applications can be submitted to multiple states at the same time, if you would like to. Once approved by the Board of Nursing, Authorization To Test (ATT) is sent to the candidates. You can use ATT to register for NCLEX exam. NCLEX exam is administered in Prometric test centers in most of the major cities across the globe. You can prepare yourself using study material or you can join training centers like Kaplan. We provide you educational and test material for your preparation.
Healthcare worker Certification/Visa screen:
All foreign health care workers other than physicians are eligible to enter the United States only if they present certification by an approved credentialing organization verifying that the worker has met the minimum requirements for training, licensure, and English proficiency. A health worker must present a valid health care worker certification or a visa screen each time he or she:
There are several agencies that are authorized to issue a health care worker certification. For foreign nurses, the best organization is Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS). CGFNS verifies foreign nurses’ educational credentials, English proficiency skills and issues a Visa Screen certificate. For more information on Visa Screen, please visit: https://www.cgfns.org/services/certification/visascreen-visa-credentials-assessment/
Health care worker certificate should be presented at the time of visa issuance to the consular officer in the US embassy without which US visa will not be issued. Health care worker certification is valid only for 5 years. Certification can be renewed if green card is not approved within 5 years of the initial date of issuance.
Immigration to the US and green card processing: If you are from few of the countries like India and China where there is a significant backlog for green card processing, it may take 12-15 years before entering the United States. For this reason, nurses from these countries should pursue nurse practitioner career (please see nurse practitioner section on this website) which is more lucrative or do a specialization in nursing to be eligible to come to US on H1B visa. Please read more details below for Indian and Chinese nurses.
For foreign nurses from most of the other countries, we start your green card processing while you are in the home country. You will arrive in the US on EB-3 visa. Your spouse and children can come with you to the US. Your spouse will also be able to work in the US.
Nurse licensing: Once you arrive in the US, you will need a bank account and Social Security Number (SSN). Most of the states need an SSN number before issuing nurse license. Except for six states (Colorado, Wisconsin, New York, Vermont, Maine and Hawaii), fingerprints are also required before obtaining a nurse license. Without a valid nursing license, you will neither be able to work as a nurse nor pursue nurse practitioner program.
Employment: Congratulations! You are officially ready to start working as a nurse. We assist you with finding a job of your preference. If your job is in a different state, we help you with the state licensing and credentialing process. Full immigration support and benefits are provided to all the candidates.
For Indian and Chinese nurses: If you are already in the United States, you will need credentialing verification, take TOEFL/IELTS exam, take NCLEX exam and apply for nurse license. Immigration process and Visa Screen does not apply to you. If you are in India or China and if you are willing to immigrate to the United States, there are few options –
1) F1 visa: As mentioned above, you can pursue nurse practitioner career. You can come to US on a student visa, complete a two-year nurse practitioner program and start working as a nurse practitioner and earn more than $100,000. Your green card processing will start at the time of employment, after completing the nurse practitioner program. Please review nurse practitioner section on this website for more information.
2) H1B visa to enter the US: There are strict criteria for foreign nurses coming to the US on H1B visa.
- a . Nurses should have a specialization. Medical Intensive Care, Surgical Intensive Care, Pediatric Intensive Care, Trauma services, Dialysis or any other specialty niche that requires additional training.
- b . Position in consideration should have at least a BSN degree as the requirement. As registered nurses (RN) in the US do NOT require a BSN degree, RN positions are NOT eligible for H1B visas.
- c . Most of the positions require at least two years of experience in the field.
- d .Nurse educator positions that require a minimum of a BSN degree may be eligible for an H1B visa.
- e .Nurse manager positions are another option for H1B visa. However, you will need sufficient experience to work as a nurse manager in the US.
- f . Advanced degrees in the nursing field: If you have a nurse practitioner degree or a similar degree, you may be eligible for an H1B visa.
3) H-4 EAD: If you are married to a person who is already on H1B visa or a green card in the United States, you will be able to obtain H-4 EAD (Employment Authorization Document). You will be able to work as a registered nurse in the United States even without any specialization or experience, even without a BSN degree, as long as you have an associate degree/diploma in nursing.
4) Green card processing (EB-3): As mentioned above, it may take 12-15 years for green card processing for Indian nurses before they can enter the US. As of now, this option is technically not available. However, as President Trump’s administration is making several changes to the immigration laws, there is a remote possibility that it may take a shorter time in the future.