First Call Sponsorship Guide to the Process:

Step 1- Submit your resume via email, fax or mail. The Director for

International Affairs will review and evaluate your eligibility.

Step 2 – If found eligible, the following are for your information and

guide

A- Requirement list

1. All nursing licenses.

2. Diploma and transcripts from the nursing school attended.

3. Marriage certificate, if diplomas or licenses are under maiden

name.

4. CGFNS certificate, or full and unrestricted license for the state

of intended employment.

5. Completed Schedule A questionnaire.

6. Photocopy of ID page in passport.

7. NBI Clearance

8. Employment Experience Verification

9. Letter of Recommendation

10. Continuing Education and Trainings

11. Visa Screen Certificate – A MUST

12. I –140 questionnaire

B - Timeline of the process

FILING FROM OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES:

(“CONSULAR PROCESSING”)

1. FCNSI forwards all docs to law office. They process the docs.

2. Law office sends forms for signatures for FCNSI and for

applicant via mail. Return back to lawyer.

3. Forms are filed with the Regional Service Center of the CIS.

Usual processing time is 2 - 12 months.

4. Approval or Denial or Request for evidences - If Petition is

approved by the Regional Service Center, they send the file to

the National Visa Center. At this time, NVC shall issue the

Case Number in about 2 months. Just the same, if denied, we

shall get a denial notice with reasons for denial. If we receive

request for evidence, we shall comply.

5. Presuming it is approved - National Visa Center issues Case

Number and sends packet of forms to us, then to you to be

filled out and returned.

6. Nurse signs forms and returns forms and consular fees to law

office.

7. Forms and visa payment are sent to National Visa Center to be

forwarded to consulate for processing.

8. Consulate sets up appointment with Nurse for visa interview.

Usual time from returning forms until interview date is 3– 6

months.

List of Requirements for Consulate Processing

Certified Copies of the following original documents (must have the original certifier’s stamp on

it, i.e. not a copy of the certification):

a) A copy of biographic pages of passport (this is the page with your name and birth date);

b) Birth Certificate – must reflect BOTH parents names;

c) All marriage certificates, divorce decrees and death certificates, if applicable;

d) Police Clearances – from every country lived in for more than 6 months since the age of 16 years (these clearances must be current, and not more than a year old);

e) Deportation Papers, if applicable;

f) Court and prison records, if applicable; Military Records, if applicable

g) The principal applicant will need to have the visa screen for the interview.

9. Nurse and dependents enter the U.S. as Permanent

Residents, and are able to work immediately.

TOTAL ESTIMATED PROCESSING TIME IS 12-18 MONTHS. Because of the RETROGRESSION, the waiting time is longer. This is dependent on visa availability.

PLEASE NOTE: Processing times mentioned above are estimates based on the average current processing times, and should not be taken as guarantees. Actual processing times will vary considerably from one case to another.

C - Engagement Agreement

At this time, please read and understand the engagement agreement. You will find most of your questions answered in this agreement. If you have further questions, clarifications or verifications, submit them to us via email.. Responses are better conducted thru email so that you can always refer to it at any time. You and I have to discuss and satisfy all your questions

Step 3 – If the above are acceptable and fully understood, sign all

documents and submit with all the requirements in the list.

Step 4 – FCNSI prepares all necessary documentation, prepares your

packet and forwards to designated Immigration lawyer. See

Timeline above.

Links to help you:

CGFNS / ICHP

Depending on country of residence, you may be required to take additional exam called TOEFL. The TOEFL is an English Language examination and is required for licensure.

1. Tel: 888-863-3544

1. 609-7717100

1.Web: www.toefl.org

Depending on your country of residence and practice, you may also be required to take an exam called the Test of Spoken English (TSE)

Obtain Visa Screen Certificate issued through the International Commission on Healthcare Professions (ICHP). The Visa Screen Certificate is required of all candidates to certify that an individual’s home country education is equivalent to a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing in the United States and that English skills are at an acceptable level.

ICHP – International Commissions on Healthcare Professions

3600 Market Street, Suite 400

Philadelphia, PA 19104-2665 USA

Tel: 215-349-6735 x 476, 215-349-8767

Fax: 215-349-0026

Customer Service: 215-062-0425

Voice: 215-599-6200

Web: www.ichp.org

Depending on your home country, your intended state of residence in the United States, and the economics involved, nurses sometimes take the NCLEX in lieu of the CGFNS (“Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools”) exam. Many states require a passing the CGFNS exam in order to take the NCLEX-RN for their state license.

Web: www.cgfns.org

Very Important

The Nurse must hold either a CGFNS Certificate or a full and unrestricted license for the state of intended employment in order to apply for Visa Screening and get the Visa Screen Certificate, at the time the I-140 is filed with the CIS.

A Consulate-issued Immigrant Visa and Immigrant petition WILL NOT be approved without a VISA SCREEN Certificate. The VISA SCREEN Certificate, issued by ICHP, is based on passing either CGFNS Examination or NCLEX AND tests of written and spoken English or IELTS.

The Nurse must apply at the ICHP for a VISA SCREENING separately - it is not the same as the CGFNS Certificate.

We will no longer file the Immigrant Petition (I-140) or Change of Status (I-485) without a VISA SCREEN CERTIFICATE. As of September 2004, a Visa Screen will be required for ALL

nurses at the time of filing.