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2005 News and Alerts

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JANUARY 20, 2005

Special notice for Canadian health care workers in the United States

Jointly Prepared by the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)

The final rule implementing Section 343 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996 became effective on September 23, 2003. This rule requires that Canadian nurses entering the United States to work under Trade NAFTA or applying for a temporary or permanent occupational visa must obtain an International Commission on Healthcare Professions VisaScreen^® certificate. To date, CGFNS is the only recognized entity to provide such services by the U.S. federal government. The final rule allowed for a transition period during which the Canadian nurse must obtain the VisaScreen^®. That transition period ended on July 25, 2004. However, the Department of Homeland Security has provided an extension of that deadline for health professionals working under Trade NAFTA who were employed and licensed in the United States prior to September 23, 2003. The new deadline for health care professionals who qualify is July 26, 2005.

Here are the VisaScreen^® requirements applicable to foreign nurses:

• If licensed by examination in a U.S. state or territory then general nursing school transcripts and valid and unencumbered foreign and U.S. licenses must be submitted by the foreign institution to CGFNS. Passing scores in oral and written English exams (administered by ETS or IELTS) must also be submitted, unless the general nursing education was obtained in a professional school located in Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, Trinidad, Tobago (in limited circumstances), the United Kingdom, or the United States.
• If licensed by endorsement in a U.S. state or territory without passage of the NCLEX^®, examination, then the temporary foreign nurse must also (in addition to the above requirements) pass either the NCLEX^® or the CGFNS Qualifying Exam^SM.

Canadian nurses interested in applying for the CGFNS Qualifying Exam^SM may Apply online with CGFNS Connect.

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) will grant qualified candidates eligibility to take the NCLEX^® examination to help satisfy the VisaScreen^® requirements, through September 30, 2005. If currently licensed by a state or territorial board of nursing, candidates may choose to apply to either NCSBN at www.ncsbn.org/testing/nclexforvisascreen.asp or to one of the following boards of nursing: Arkansas, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Hampshire, or the Virgin Islands. For more information on registering with a state board of nursing to take the NCLEX^® examination, contact any of the above states through the link: www.ncsbn.org/regulation/boardsofnursing_boards_of_nursing_board.asp. It should be noted that this is for immigration purposes only, and applicants seeking a state or territorial license should contact the board of nursing in the state they intend to work in for the specifics of what they need to obtain a state or territorial license.

An International Commission on Healthcare Professions VisaScreen^® certificate is issued after a complete evaluation of the nurse’s credentials to verify that he or she meets the minimum federal requirements. The International Commission on Healthcare Professions (ICHP), a division of CGFNS, administers this screening process. The VisaScreen^®: Visa Credentials Assessment consists of the following parts:

• A credentials review of the nurse’s entire professional education. Federal law requires that educational documents be sent to CGFNS directly from the nursing school.
• A validation of all registration/licensure that the nurse held and currently holds. Federal law requires that license verification be sent to CGFNS directly from the licensing agency.
• Successful completion of either the CGFNS Qualifying Exam^SM or the NCLEX-RN^®.
• Successful completion of a group of English language proficiency examinations. Nurses educated in Canada (except Quebec) are exempt from the English language proficiency examinations if their instruction and textbooks were in English. If the nurse is not exempt from the English language proficiency examinations she or he will need to successfully pass one of the following English exams: TOEFL plus TWE and TSE, or TOEIC plus TWE and TSE, or the Academic module of the IELTS. Contact the following organizations for further information on the English proficiency examinations: TOEFL, TWE and TSE.

NOTE: All English language proficiency scores are valid for up to two years from the date of administration.

Licensed practical or vocational nurses should take the NCLEX-PN^® (www.ncsbn.org) and contact the U.S. Federal Government about visa screening requirements.

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) 222 8454.