Know About Nursing

he U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requires, under section 343 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, internationally-educated healthcare professionals, such as:

* Registered Nurses
* Physical Therapists
* Occupational Therapists
* Physician Assistants
* Clinical Laboratory Technicians (Medical Technicians)
* Clinical Laboratory Scientists (Medical Laboratory Technologists)
* Speech Language Pathologists
* Speech Language Audiologists
* Licensed Practical or Vocational Nurses

seeking temporary or permanent occupational visas as well as those who are seeking Trade NAFTA (TN) status, to first obtain a CGFNS/ICHP VisaScreen Certificate as part of the visa process. VisaScreen is administered by the International Commission on Healthcare Professions (ICHP) a division of CGFNS International.

CGFNS International (Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools®) is an internationally recognized authority on credentials evaluation and verification pertaining to the education, registration and licensure of nurses and healthcare professionals worldwide.

So, CGFNS is critical.

IELTS or TOEFL is required. So, you are just fine. They are both tests for knowledge of English language. Read this:

The English language proficiency assessment confirms that the applicant demonstrates the required competency in oral and written English based on the applicant's achievement of passing scores on tests jointly approved by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Applicants educated in specific countries in which English is both the native language in that country and the language of classroom and text book instruction (see below) are exempt from having to take an English proficiency exam.

For applicants to be exempt from the English proficiency requirement for the VisaScreen Assessment:

* Their entry-level professional education occurred in the United States, Canada (except Quebec), the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia or New Zealand
* The language of instruction was English
* The language of the textbooks was English

Only CGFNS/ICHP VisaScreen applicants who meet ALL of these criteria are exempt from the English proficiency requirement.

All applicants not exempt from the English proficiency requirement because they cannot satisfy all of the criteria to be exempt from this requirement must take one of the following groups of English examinations.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), Test of Written English (TWE), and the Test of Spoken English (TSE); or

* Test of English as a Foreign Language, internet-based version (TOEFL iBT), measuring all four skills of communication: reading, writing, listening, and speaking; or
* Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), the TWE, and the TSE; or
* International English Language Testing System (IELTS): Academic Module for Registered Nurses, Physician Assistants, Speech Language Pathologists, Audiologists, Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Medical Technologist); or general module for Medical Laboratory Technicians (Medical Technicians) and Licensed Practical Nurses
* Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists may take TOEFL plus TSE and TWE only; they must take all three of these exams.


You also need to take NCLEX.

NCLEX; Entry into the practice of nursing in the United States and its territories is regulated by the licensing authorities within each jurisdiction. To ensure public protection, each jurisdiction requires a candidate for licensure to pass an examination that measures the competencies needed to perform safely and effectively as a newly licensed, entry-level registered nurse. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) develops two licensure examinations, the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses and the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses that are used by state and territorial boards of nursing to assist in making licensure decisions.

You also need to contact CGFNS and have them issue VisaScreen. U.S. Immigration law now requires that healthcare professionals, other than physicians, complete a screening program in order to qualify for certain occupational visas. VisaScreen, a program offered by The International Commission on Healthcare Professions (ICHP), a division of CGFNS International, enables healthcare professionals to meet this requirement by verifying and evaluating their credentials to ensure that they meet the government's minimum eligibility standards. CGFNS is named in Federal law as a qualified provider of such a screening program.

You will follow these steps:


1. Complete the VisaScreen application.
2. Complete the forms to send to your nursing school(s). Academic transcripts must come directly from the nursing school(s).
3. Complete the forms to send to your licensing authority(ies). Validations of all licenses, past and present, must come directly from the licensing authorities.
4. Pass an English language proficiency test and have the scores directly forwarded to CGFNS/ICHP from the testing agency.
5. Pass either the CGFNS International Qualifying Exam or the NCLEX-RN® examination if you are a registered nurse.
6. Send a copy of your high school diploma or equivalent.
7. Pay the appropriate application fee. You can apply for the VisaScreen Program in one of three ways:
* Apply online at www.cgfns.org
* Download VisaScreen Program Handbook and Application from www.cgfns.org.
* Request a copy of the VisaScreen Program Application from CGFNS International by mail or phone.