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2005 News and Alerts Due to the age of these news items, information (including links) may be outdated.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. JUNE 30, 2005 CGFNS/ICHP sets cut-off date for receipt of documents for applicants The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) and its division, the International Commission on Healthcare Professions (ICHP) announced today that if all federally mandated documents are received by July 8, 2005, VisaScreen® applicants who are working under Trade NAFTA status, and who were employed and licensed in the United States prior to September 23, 2003, will receive their VisaScreen® certificates by the July 26, 2005, deadline. The deadline was an extension granted by the Department of Homeland Security to Canadian and Mexican health care professionals in 2004 in order for them to meet the documentation requirements required by the final regulation issued in July 2003 which became effective September 23, 2003. “All federally mandated documents” include such items as nursing school transcripts and the completed CGFNS Nursing form, license verification form, and English language proficiency test results (unless exempt from the English exam). Section 343 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act requires Trade NAFTA status health care professionals—registered nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and medical technologists—to have their credentials certified by an organization recognized by the Department of Homeland Security. The credentials certification includes an educational analysis, licensure validation, English language proficiency assessment (not required if educated in Canada, outside of Quebec), and in the case of nurses, a passing score on an approved exam of nursing knowledge. The VisaScreen®: Visa Credentials Assessment is a credentials certification program administered by the International Commission on Healthcare Professions (ICHP), a division of CGFNS. CGFNS is the only federally approved credentialing organization for all four professions listed above. In an effort to facilitate the process for the affected applicants, CGFNS/ICHP has notified all known applicants, hospital human resource departments, nursing schools and licensing authorities in Canada and the US regarding the deadline. 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. |
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