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Process for Nurses

Your employer, the healthcare institution hiring you, will sponsor you for the US work visa under I-140 EB3 (Employment-Based Petition) as an immigrant or permanent resident or an H-1B visa. Permanent residency can be for life but some nurses will likely wish to become a U.S. citizen once qualified.

Timeline
Please note the most common scenerio with regards to the time required to receive a US work visa for nurses (assumes documents, from both the healthcare institution and the nurse, are ready and submitted to an immigration attorney):

  • Petition is filed with appropriate immigration center, and in most cases, a notice of approval will be received within 3~6 months.
  • Petition is sent to the National Visa Center (NVC) for further processing (2~3 months) and then back to the nurse for signature. The petition is sent back to the NVC for final processing and assignment of a visa number and then mailed to the U.S. Embassy in Manila. (1~2 months)
  • U.S. Embassy notifies applicant to take medical exam and schedules a final interview. (1~2 months)
  • After all embassy requirements are fulfilled trip to the US is scheduled. (2~4 weeks)

During the immigration process the nurse will need to produce a VisaScreen™ Certificate before they are allowed to leave the country. The VisaScreen™ gauges the person's educational credentials and English-language proficiency, validates the nursing license, and contains an exam of nursing knowledge.

Note: These timelines vary from one immigration center to the next, depending on the center's workload. There are four immigration centers in the United States: Vermont, Texas, Nebraska, and California. Each state (in the U.S.) is assigned to one of the four centers.

Disclaimer: The aforementioned timeline and content is provided on an "as-is" basis and "with all faults" for informational purposes only and does not constitute any representation or warranty related thereof. It is the user's responsibility to evaluate information, advice or other content obtained through this site. Laws change constantly and one should seek the advice of professional legal counsel.

Links
Immigration is the sincerest form of flattery - C. Matthew Schulz's, partner at Baker & McKenzie, LLP, website provides a wealth of information related to U.S. visas and issues currently affecting various visas for immigrant workers. Philippines, visa for Filipino nurses, Filipina, Filipino nurses, nursing, Pinoy, Pinay, nursing students, student nurses, RSN, nursing schools, nursing shortage, foreign nurse recruitment, international nurse recruiting, medical staffing, services, Philippine nurses, portal, nurse outsourcing, healthcare, RN, RNs, foreign nurse recruiting, nurses from the Philippines, Philippine Nurses Association, Philippine Nurses Association of America, international nurses, nursing crisis, nursing forum, Philippine nurses portal, PhilHealth, Philippine News, Filipino News, nursing news, Filipino-American, Fil-Am, PhilAm, nursing discussion, nursing jobs, nursing employment, nursing links, career opportunities for nurses, nurse managers, nurse practitioners, nursing management, registered nurses
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