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VisaScreen® Frequently Asked Questions FAQs FOR 2006 JUNE PASSERS OF PHILIPPINE NURSING LICENSURE EXAM
Does passage of the NCLEX or the CGFNS Exam make someone who passed only the June 2006 Exam eligible for a VisaScreen® certificate? No. In order to become eligible for a VisaScreen® Certificate, CGFNS has required that a June 2006 passer must first re-take and pass, with a score of 75 percent or better, the “special voluntary examination” covering the subject matter of Tests 3 and 5. Passage of the NCLEX or the CGFNS Examination by any passer of the compromised June 2006 PRC examination will not substitute for the requirement that he or she take the “special voluntary examination” authorized by Executive Order 609 issued by the Philippine Government on March 12, 2007. Does the CGFNS decision have an effect on the validity of the Philippine nursing licensure? No. CGFNS recognizes the validity of the Philippine nursing license obtained by the June 2006 passers. The CGFNS decision to deny issuing a VisaScreen Certificate to the June 2006 passers of the Philippine Nursing Licensure Examination relates only to their status under U.S. immigration law. When must I re-take Tests 3 and 5 to be eligible for a VisaScreen® Certificate? June, 2006 Philippine Nursing Licensure Examination test passers must re-take Tests 3 and 5 as provided in Executive Order 609 stating that a “special voluntary examination” for this purpose will be given both in June and December, 2007. A June 2006 passer may take this special voluntary examination in either one of those months, at the examinee’s choice. Executive Order 609 does not authorize re-takes of Tests 3 and 5 after December 2007. What score do I have to get in order to be eligible for VisaScreen® Certificate? You must obtain a passing score of 75 percent or better on each Test. An average score of 75 — in which one score is above 75 and one below 75 — will not be sufficient to qualify for VisaScreen® certification. The American Nurses Association (ANA) has recommended that the June 2006 passers should re-take the entire licensure examination, even though CGFNS requires a re-take of only Tests 3 and 5. Which path should I follow? To gain eligibility for VisaScreen® certification, which is a pre-requisite to obtaining a U.S. occupational visa, you should meet the standard set by CGFNS, i.e., retaking Tests 3 and 5 before the end of 2007. ANA has clarified its position by stating that “ANA recognizes the CGFNS’s position that successful retake of Tests #3 and #5 is an acceptable remedy to meet the needs of a VisaScreen® Certificate.” If I take the re-take of Tests 3 and 5 in June 2007, and I fail to get a score of 75 in one or both tests, can I re-take one or both Tests in December 2007? No. After you have re-taken Tests 3 and 5 once in a “special voluntary examination,” no further re-take is authorized by the Executive Order of the Philippine Government. If I pass Tests 3 and 5 in 2007, what other things must I do to obtain a VisaScreen® Certificate? Detailed information about the requirements for a VisaScreen® Certificate are available on this Web site at http://www.cgfns.org/files/pdf/req/vs-requirements.pdf Who is ICHP? The International Commission on Healthcare Professions is a division of CGFNS International. CGFNS launched ICHP in 1996 to administer its VisaScreen® program, which is a federally-approved screening program for foreign health care workers seeking an occupational visa in the United States. What is VisaScreen® and why do I need it? U.S. Immigration law now requires that health care professionals, other than physicians, complete a screening program in order to qualify for certain occupational visas. VisaScreen, a program offered by The International Commission on Healthcare Professions (ICHP), a division of CGFNS International, enables health care professionals to meet this requirement by verifying and evaluating their credentials to ensure that they meet the government’s minimum eligibility standards. CGFNS is named in Federal law as a qualified provider of such a screening program. What does VisaScreen® look at? VisaScreen® includes an educational review, licensure review, English language skills assessment and passage of one of two approved examinations for registered nurses (CGFNS International Qualifying ExamSM or NCLEX-RN). Applicants who successfully complete VisaScreen® will receive a VisaScreen® Certificate, which can be presented to a consular officer or, in the case of adjustment of status, the Attorney General as part of a visa application If I am a registered nurse, do I need to complete the CGFNS International Qualifying ExamSM and the NCLEX-RN® examination in order to complete my VisaScreen® application? No. You only need to successfully complete either one of the exams. What are the VisaScreen® requirements?
You can apply for the VisaScreen® Program in one of three ways:
Who is exempt from fulfilling the English language proficiency requirement? Applicants may be exempt from the English language proficiency requirement for VisaScreen® if they meet all of the following criteria:
Who pays for the VisaScreen® program? The applicant typically pays for the VisaScreen® program. The application fee can be paid by an international money order or certified bank check in U.S. dollars, drawn on a U.S. bank and made payable to “ICHP,” or by one of the following credit cards: Visa, MasterCard or Discover/Novus. Must I submit my original documents for review? Yes and no. CGFNS/ICHP accepts clear and legible photocopies of secondary school documents for evaluation. However, CGFNS/ICHP will only accept original verification from issuing agencies. All validation of registration/licenses and the applicant’s professional school’s transcripts must come directly from the issuing authority to CGFNS/ICHP. In addition, since CGFNS/ICHP verifies credential authenticity, CGFNS/ICHP maintains the right to validate any documentation with the source agency. What should I do if my educational institution has closed or the agency that issued my license is no longer in existence? CGFNS/ICHP only accepts certain documentation from source agencies (such as transcripts and validations of registration/ licensure). If your school or licensing agency has closed or no longer operates, you will need to contact the organization or agency authorized to hold documentation for that institution (such as a ministry of health or the national, provincial or state licensing authority in your country of education). If you are uncertain about where to go, call the CGFNS/ICHP Customer Service Department. Do I need to have validations for all licenses I have ever held to complete my VisaScreen® application? Yes. CGFNS/ICHP requires all VisaScreen® applicants to provide validations of ALL licenses they have held, past and present. The validations must be sent directly to CGFNS/ICHP from the issuing authority(ies). Can I provide a photocopy of my license instead of a validation? No. CGFNS/ICHP requires that official validations of licenses must be completed and sent directly from the issuing authorities. What if my documents are not in English? A certified word-for-word English translation, signed with a certification of authenticity by the translator, must accompany any credentials not in English. If you cannot furnish a translation of your documents, CGFNS/ICHP can provide an official translation of each document for an additional fee. CGFNS/ICHP will accept translations of documents submitted by source agencies (such as transcripts and validations) only from the issuing authorities. Otherwise, CGFNS/ICHP will translate documents for the appropriate fee. How does CGFNS/ICHP ensure its evaluations? To ensure quality evaluations, CGFNS/ICHP consistently uses standards developed by the specific profession as the foundation for the assessment of an applicant’s qualification. What is the difference between a CGFNS Certificate and the ICHP VisaScreen® Certificate? The VisaScreen® Certificate is a result of successful completion of the CGFNS/ICHP VisaScreen® program, which meets all federal requirements of a screening program for health care professionals seeking certain occupational visas in the United States. The CGFNS International Certificate is a result of successful completion of the CGFNS International Certification Program, which is a program consisting of an educational and registration/licensure review, a qualifying examination of nursing knowledge, as well as an English language proficiency assessment, designed specifically for first-level, general (registered) nurses seeking licensure in the United States. Once a VisaScreen® Certificate is issued, who receives the original document? The VisaScreen® Certificate is issued directly to the applicant who successfully completed all of the requirements of the program. The applicant then presents it to a consular officer or attorney general (when applicable) as part of a visa application. My VisaScreen® Certificate does not contain my picture, the signature of the CGFNS president and CEO, or an expiration date. Is it still valid? In January, 2004, CGFNS International began to include the signatures of the organization’s President and Chief Executive Officer, as well as an expiration date on VisaScreen® Certificates. VisaScreen® Certificates were first issued in conjunction with the issuing of three interim rules by the DHS on October 1998, April 1999, and in January 2001. Therefore VisaScreen® Certificates issued during these periods and prior to January 2004 would not contain signatures or expiration dates, however will remain valid. VisaScreen® certificates may also include a photograph of the applicant (which CGFNS/ICHP has included when a photo was available). CGFNS/ICHP has added these features with the aim of making the certificate more resistant to various forms of fraud. I am from a foreign country, but graduated from a college in the United States. Do I still need to apply for the VisaScreen® program? Yes. Although your professional education was completed in the United States, the purpose of the VisaScreen® program is to provide a screening program which meets all federal requirements for international health care professionals seeking an occupational visa in the United States, irrespective of where the professional education was completed. However, there is a streamlined process for foreign-born health care professionals educated in the United States. What are the passing scores for the English language proficiency examinations? The passing scores for the English language proficiency examinations are located in the VisaScreen® application and the VisaScreen® Requirements. What health care professions does CGFNS/ICHP certify? Under the current United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) regulations, CGFNS/ICHP can certify registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech language pathologists and audiologists, medical technologists, medical technicians and physicians' assistants. I am a foreign-educated health care worker (not in one of the professions mentioned) who is subject to the provisions of Section 343. I have all the necessary paperwork to immigrate to the United States. Why can't CGFNS International issue me the necessary certification? USCIS has chosen to limit the number of occupations for which certificates can be issued. USCIS anticipates that additional occupations, and perhaps additional organizations, will be added. Do I need a VisaScreen® Certificate if I am a Canadian entering the United States on a TN (Trade NAFTA) visa? Yes. Certificates are required for health care workers entering the United States on permanent and temporary, including the TN Visa categories. I am a foreign-educated health care professional who is seeking to obtain my permanent residence status based on my relationship (e.g., spouse or minor) to a U.S. citizen. Do I need to obtain a VisaScreen® Certificate? No. Foreign-educated health care professionals who seek permanent residence status based on their relationship to an American citizen are not subject to Section 343 and do not need to obtain a VisaScreen® Certificate. I am a foreign-educated health care professional in a non-clinical occupation (such as medical teachers or researchers, administrators of health care facilities, medical consultants, etc.). Do I need to obtain certification under Section 343? No. Healthcare professionals coming to the United States to perform services in non-clinical health care occupations that do not provide patient care are not required to obtain certification under Section 343. However, health care professionals who are indirectly involved in the performance of patient care (such as supervisory nurses, etc.) must obtain certification under Section 343, such as the VisaScreen® Certificate. I am a nurse who holds a CGFNS Certificate. Do I still need to apply for the VisaScreen® Certificate? Yes. The VisaScreen® Certificate is required for all health care professionals (except physicians) who are seeking an immigrant visa or a change in status to permanent residency. One of the requirements of the VisaScreen® program is that nurses must have passed either the CGFNS International Qualifying ExamSM or the NCLEX-RN® examination. Since you already have the CGFNS Certificate, you will not have to take another nursing exam to obtain your visa, and your transcripts on file may be used for the educational evaluation element of the VisaScreen® program. |
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