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As a practical matter, a foreign nurse in the U.S. can start her immigration application and receive employment earlier than a nurse residing outside the U.S.

The application begins by an employer filing immigration petition (Form I-140) to the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Service, BCIS (former Immigration and Naturalization Service). The application should include documents listed above and other supporting documents as well as filing fee. To speed up the process, BCIS allows concurrent filing of application for adjustment of status (Form I-485) and employment authorization (Form I-765) for both the nurse and her spouse and unmarried children under 21. It may take at least over a year, depending on where the nurse resides, for the nurse to receive the approval of adjustment and later the green card. Concurrent filing of the above application will allow the nurse to receive employment authorization hence start to work while waiting for approval of the adjustment.

For the nurse who lives outside the U.S., the process begins when the employer submits the immigration petition (I-140). Upon approval of the petition, BCIS will send the approval notice to National Visa Center (NVC). If there is no backlog for immigration quota, NVC will forward a packet of requested information to the nurse or her attorney. The nurse sends in the information to the American consulate and awaits appointment for physical examination, fingerprints, and interview. Upon successful completion of the interview, the nurse, her spouse, and minor children will receive their immigrant visas.

The requested information, for visa application and interview, by American consulate varies slightly from country to country. So does the interview procedure. This is particularly true after the event of September 11. Basically, the nurse is required to provide the following documents:
1. Birth certificate
2. Marriage certificate when applicable
3. Divorce or death certificate of spouse when applicable
4. Medical examination
5. Proof of job offer,
6. Financial information of the employer
7. Police clearance
8. Application
9. Application fees
10. Valid passport
11. Photographs
12. Visa screen certificate

VISASCREEN CERTIFICATE (VSC) AND LICENSING

The VSC is issued to the nurse by International Commission on Health Professionals (ICHP) to certify that her education and license meets the U. S. standard; that she possesses the level of competency in oral and written English required to practice nursing; that she has passed the nursing examination given by CGFNS.

RN State Licensing Boards: Contact Information And Web Sites

NCLEX Examination
The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS)

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENT

Unless the nurse received her nursing instruction in the U.S. United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and Canada, she needs to show her language proficiency by taking one of the following examinations:
TOEFL (test of English as foreign language) IELTS (International English Language Testing Service), and TOEIC (Test of English in International Communications).

The passing scores for the nurse to be certified by CGFNS:TOEFL: paper based 540; computer based 207; TSE (test of spoken English) 50; TWE (test of written English) 4.0IELTS: written (academic module)6.5; spoken band 7.0
source:nclexguide4filipinos