This will be of help for those of you who are looking to obtain licensure here in the States.


Also, check with the Board of the State you are planning to live in. You can go to that particular State Forum, and clik on the BON link:


NCLEX-RN exam is required of all nurses, no matter where they trained to work in the US. It is a national exam, and the results are accepted in all fifty states, and never has to be taken again.

You must apply to a state for "License by Examination" and have your file approved before you will be permitted to sit for the exam. It requires an ATT (Authorization to Test) to have in your hand to take to the testing center. You will get this after you have been accepted by the state, and have paid the fee for the exam to Pearson-Vue. It is $200US if taken in the US, and $350US if taken out of the US.

There are a few states that require a local license, most do not. US Immigration does not require a local license in your home country.
CGFNS does require a local license to sit for the CGFNS exam.

The only thing that is needed for the GREEN CARD is a Visa Screen Certificate. This can be gotten by passing either the CGFNS exam or the NCLEX-RN exam, and the series of English exams, if you are not exempt from them. Requirement is based on where you did your initial nursing training, not where you have worked. Even if you are now in the US working on your MSN; but trained in another country for the BSN, you will still need to take the English exams.

Permanent residency, or green card, is what you will be getting. There are no temporary work visas being issued to nurses, and there have not been any for over two years. H1-B visas do not exist for nurses. If someone tells you otherwise, they are incorrect. Please list permanent residency on any application that asks for the type of visa, and include a copy of your passport with it.

All of the green cards for nurses are employer-based, which means that you must have an employer to start the process for you. You cannot apply to immigration for the green card on your own.

Once you have found an employer to do the petitioning for you, you will be given forms to complete. The one that you keep hearing about is the I-140, and this is what will need initial approval before you can go any further. Next, the visa bill will need to be paid, either by the employer, or you. DS-230 forms will come next, and will need to completed and returned. Your dependents must be listed here, or they will not be on your green card, and will need to go thru a separate process later on. And that can take about two years, so please make sure that everyone is on there.
If you have a baby, they can be added. But for others, there will be a wait involved. Once the DS-230 is received and verified, you will hear that your file is complete. Next step will the final step and that is the medical exam and the US Embassy interview. DS-230 is referred to as Packet 3, and the medical/interview is Packet 4. Length of time will be dependent on where you have to go to interview. the UK is currently about six weeks or so, Manila is on average about four to five months.

Anything that requires a notary, must be done at the US Embassy where you are. It does not need to be done in your home country, if you are not currently working there. If you are in the US, then a local notary is acceptable. There are some that have gotten by with local notaries in their home country, but many times they are not accepted and it is better to do things right the first time.