Green Card Requirements for Foreign Nurses 

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The U.S. is currently experiencing a severe shortage of nurses. This shortage is opening up opportunities for foreign educated and trained nurses to immigrate to the US on Green Cards.

Under the present law, H-1B visas can only be done for specialized nurses such as Head Nurse, Case Plan Coordinators or nurses with additional training necessary to do advanced procedures.

In order work as a registered nurse in the US and be eligible for a Green Card, the foreign nurse must have the following qualifications:

1. A degree from a nursing school;
2. A license to work as a registered nurse;
3. A license to work as a registered nurse in the US or a certificate that the foreign nurse has passed the exam given by the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS).

Green Cards for nurses are currently being done on the fast track. The Department of Labor has listed Registered Nurses along with Physical Therapists as shortage occupations; Green Cards for Registered Nurses are exempt from the Alien Labor Certification requirements. The Alien Labor Certification Processing in some states in the US can take in excess of two years.

In order to start the Green Card process, an Immigration Application is filed with the USCIS in respect of the foreign registered nurse. Upon approval of the Immigration Application; the USCIS forwards the Approved Petition to the National Visa Center at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The National Visa Center in turn will forward the Approved Petition to the US consulate where the foreign registered nurse will be interviewed for the Green Card. The foreign nurse must have the following documents with her:

1. Police Clearance Certificate;
2. Birth Certificate;
3. Marriage Certificate (if married);
4. Divorce or death certificate of spouse (if married earlier);
5. Valid passport;
6. Medical report;
7. Visa Screen Certificate;
8. Photographs;
9. Offer letter of Employment;
10. Financial statements/tax returns of Employer;
11. Immigration Application.

Under the present law, all foreign born nurses must have a Visa Screen certificate in order to be eligible for issuance of a US Green Card. The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) provides the Visa Screen certificate. The CGFNS website is located at www.cgfns.org

For nurses outside the US, the following tests have to be taken to qualify for a Visa Screen Certificate:

1. The CGFNS qualifying exam, which is graded as a pass/fail exam.
2. TOEFL (Test of English Language as a Foreign Language), pass mark is 540.
3. TWE (Test of Written English) – pass mark is 4.0
4. TSE (Test of Spoken English) – pass mark is 50.

Information regarding the TOEFL, TWE and TSE examination can be found at www.toefl.org.

In addition to passing the aforementioned exams, in order to qualify for a Visa Screen Certificate, a credential check is carried out to verify as to whether the foreign nurse has a full and unrestricted license to work as a nurse in the country where she is licensed and that her education is equivalent to a US nursing program.

Upon obtaining the Visa Screen Certificate and thereafter the Green Card from the US consulate in her country, the foreign nurse can enter the US. Once in the US, the foreign nurse will be required to take the state licensing for registered nurses administered by the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). This exam is administered only in the US. Information regarding the NCLEX-RN exam can be found at www.ncsbn.org.

Foreign nurses presently in the US require to present the same documents as mentioned above. However, as the foreign nurse is already in the US, the foreign nurse may take the state licensing examination for registered nurses or NCLEX-RN. In addition, the nurse can take the MELAB exam to fulfil the English requirement. The MELAB exam is administered only in the US and Canada. The MELAB has a higher pass rate in particular in comparison to the TSE portion of the English exams taken by foreign nurses overseas. Information regarding the MELAB examination can be found at www.lsa.umich.edu/eli/melab.htm. Foreign nurses in the US can file for the Immigration and Adjustment of Status Application together.