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2003 News and Alerts Due to the age of these news items, information (including links) may be outdated. Please use the search feature at the top of the page to find more current information on the subject or to find a current link. MARCH 3, 2003 CGFNS begins accepting TOEIC and IELTS scores as proof of English language proficiency The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) will begin accepting test scores from both the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) effective on March 3, 2003, for foreign health care workers applying for the CGFNS Certification Program and/or the VisaScreen®: Visa Credentials Assessment program. Applicants applying to the Certification or VisaScreen®: Visa Credentials Assessments must pass an English language proficiency examination as part of their requirements to receive their certificate(s). Currently, there is only one organization, the Educational Testing Service (ETS), that is approved to meet this requirement. ETS administers the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), the TWE (Test of Written English) and the TSE (Test of Spoken English). CGFNS believes that expanding the English testing options would increase access and availability to English proficiency tests for foreign health care professionals, and in turn, expedite the certification and screening processes for applicants. CGFNS began searching for other "nationally recognized, commercially available, standardized assessments" of the English language skills of foreign health care professionals in order to facilitate the Certification and VisaScreen® processes. As a result of that search, CGFNS has concluded that both the TOEIC and IELTS examinations meet statutory, as well as CGFNS’s high standards, for English language proficiency assessments set forth in section 343 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA). Beginning March 3, 2003, foreign nurses applying to the Certification Program will have the option to take either the TOEFL (administered by ETS), the TOEIC (administered by the Chauncey Group) or the IELTS (administered by Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council and IDP Education Australia). Foreign health care professionals applying to the VisaScreen®: Visa Credentials Assessment will have the option to take either TOEFL, TWE and TSE; TOEIC, TWE and TSE; or IELTS. (Please note that applicants taking TOEIC will still need to take TWE and TSE offered by ETS.) Applicants can contact these organizations at the following addresses:
CGFNS is an immigration-neutral, nonprofit organization based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, and is an internationally recognized authority on the education, registration and licensure of nurses worldwide. CGFNS’s mission is to provide responsible leadership in the delivery of relevant services to the global nursing and health care community. The organization was founded in 1977 through a collaborative effort by representatives from the U.S. Department of Labor; Department of Health, Education and Welfare (now the Department of Health and Human Services); the Immigration and Naturalization Service; and representatives from nursing organizations, including the American Nurses Association and the National League for Nursing. For additional information about CGFNS and its services, contact: CGFNS International, 3600 Market Street, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19104-2651 USA; telephone: +1 (215) 349 8767; fax: +1 (215) 349 0026. |
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