Below you'll find the questions that we're asked the most.

Who is Global Placements, Inc?

Global Placements is a recruiting company that recruits nurses from India for hospitals in the United States.

Under which Visa will Nurses go to the USA ?

Candidates will be going on a Green Card (employment based immigrant visa).

HOW LONG WILL THE PROCESS OF COMING TO THE USA TAKE?

If you have already passed CGFNS, then 12 - 18 months. We will file your paper work with the INS as soon as we receive it.

What kind of visa will you process and do you also process the visa for my family at the same time.

We will process a Green Card Visa (employment based Immigrant Visa) for you and dependents visas for your family and children below the age of 21. We can apply all the visas at the same time but employers usually pay only for the Nurse. If you wish to bring your family you will have to pay INS visa filling fees (and airfare) for other members of your family (spouse & children).

Is there a fee for job placement services?

No. Also, we do not have any representatives or affiliates in any country. Do not pay any recruitment fees to anyone.

What kind of pay will I receive?

Pay rates depend on the facility and location, but typically range from $20 to $40 hour. Many facilities offer signup or completion bonuses.

When and how will I be paid?

The assignment facility will pay you directly according to its normal payroll schedule.

Am I allowed to withdraw my agreement after signing the contract as I applied through another agency.

We are sorry, you are not allowed to withdraw your application once you have submitted the same, the reason being the minute you send us the completed forms, we start processing the same and we have to meet certain expenses. However after we have incurred these expenses if you still wish to withdraw then you will have to reimburse the expenses to us.

Will you bear the expenses for all processing and also for ticket?

Attorney fees for visa processing, initial filing fees, and air fare are paid by the Employer. The nurse has to pay INS filing fees (form DS-230) for herself and her family.

After signing my contract with your company, am I allowed to try to look for a job with other agencies in India to go to the US?

Please only sign up with us if you are 100% sure, you must understand that we are a company of International repute and there are several expenses that we undertake after you have signed a contract with us.

How much time you need approximately for finding an employer and processing my visa?

We don't need any time to find you an employer. Global Placements has arrangements several major Hospitals and Nursing homes, in several states in USA to place international Nurses.

Once you find an employer , will there be a telephone interview?

Yes there will be a telephone interview at a minimum.

Is there any contract period and if so, how many months?

The contract period is 2 - 3 years or so, depending on the Employer.

Will the accommodation be provided by you?

The salary offered is built in with the accommodation, ie. we don't provide any accommodation, however we will assist candidates to get an accommodation when they arrive in US. This allows the candidates, freedom in terms of living since some candidates will come with families and others will be on their own.

Do I have to pay taxes?

Yes. It is mandatory for all persons earning money in USA to pay taxes.

What is the first step to obtaining a green card?

I-140 application
Current regulations have put Registered Nurses (RNs) on Schedule A, Group I, as pre-certified by the Department of Labour as a shortage occupation. RNs are exempt from the individual labor certification process.

The immigration process begins when an employer submits an immigrant visa petition (Form I-140) to the office of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) having jurisdiction over the nurse’s place of intended employment. The petition must be accompanied by Labor Department forms ETA-750A and B and proof of the employer’s ability to pay the prevailing wage offered to the employee.

When submitting the I-140 the RN must be in possession of:
a) A diploma from a nursing school in his/her country;
b) An RN license in his/her country; and
c) A full and unrestricted license to practice professional nursing in the State of intended employment or a certification that she has passed the examination given by the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) which includes a credential review, a nursing examination, and the TOEFL.

The regulations governing this process state that the nurse must have the CGFNS certificate or be fully licensed in the state of intended employment in order to file an immigrant petition. The INS, however, has indicated that it will accept the NCLEX in place of the CGFNS certificate. It is most common for nurses to obtain the CGFNS certificate prior to taking the NCLEX for several reasons. The first and foremost reason is that many states require that foreign nurses pass the CGFNS examination before taking the state RN licensing (NCLEX) examination. The following states impose this requirement: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. (Please refer to the section on licensing for further details.)

What is the final step in obtaining a green card?

Consular Processing (For Nurses located outside of the United States)
The INS first sends the approved visa petition to the National Visa Center (NVC) in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. If there is no backlog for immigrant visas from the RN’s native country (her “priority date” is “current”), the NVC forwards a packet to the nurse or his/her attorney containing biographical information forms to be completed by his/her and his/her family members, and a list of documents which must be presented at his/her interview for permanent residence. Generally, the forms are submitted directly to the U.S. consulate. For individuals from certain countries, forms are submitted to the National Visa Center for preliminary processing. Upon completion of preliminary processing, the NVC will forward the case to the appropriate U.S. Consulate for final processing.

The U.S. consulate where the nurse will have his/her interview for permanent residence will review specific forms and documentation. At this interview, the nurse must present various documents including the following:

CGFNS
Who is CGFNS?

The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) is a non-profit, internationally recognized leader in the education, registration and licensure of healthcare professionals worldwide. CGFNS protects the public in relation to evolving healthcare policies and standards of professional practice for migrating healthcare professionals.

As a foreign-educated nurse, how can CGFNS help me to practice in the United States?

CGFNS offers a Certification Program and Qualifying Exam, which most U.S. State Boards of Nursing require in order to be eligible to apply for licensure within that state.

What is the CGFNS Certification Program?

The CGFNS Certification Program is a three-part program designed to predict an applicant’s likelihood of passing the NCLEX-RN examination and becoming licensed as a registered nurse in the United States. The three parts of the program include:

Applicants must successfully complete all three parts of the Certification Program in order to earn the CGFNS Certification.

Who is eligible to take the CGFNS Qualifying Exam?

The CGFNS Qualifying Exam is open to first-level, general (registered) nurses ONLY.

How often and where is the CGFNS Qualifying Exam offered?

Pleaes check the CGFNS web site.


What is the VisaScreen?

The VisaScreen Certificate requirement was imposed by §343, a last-minute amendment to the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA). It added “uncertified health-care workers” to the list of persons who are inadmissible to the U.S. See §212(a)(5)(C), INA. Those medical occupations currently covered include nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, medical technologists, medical technicians and physician assistants.

A VisaScreen Certificate is issued only after the RN has demonstrated that (1) his/her education, license and training in his/her country are equivalent to education, licensure and training in the U.S. and that (2) his/her level of competence in oral and written English are appropriate to practice professional nursing in the U.S.

At present the INS regulations provide that the only organization authorized to issue VisaScreen Certificates to RNs is the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS), the organization which is listed in §343.

As an international nurse located outside the United States, do I need to obtain VisaScreen Certification?

The INS interim VisaScreen regulations (8 C.F.R. §212.15) provide that all foreign-born nurses
applying for permanent residence based on employment as a nurse, even if educated, licensed and trained in the U.S., must obtain a VisaScreen Certificate or a Certified Statement. (Obtaining the Certified Statement from the ICHP is a somewhat streamlined process available only to nurses who completed nursing education in English in certain designated countries. The nurse must also be licensed in the state of intended employment and have passed the NCLEX to qualify for the Certified Statement.) Visa Screen Certification is required for those nurses that do not qualify for the Certified Statement.

In addition, unless the nurse was educated in an English-speaking country (U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom or Canada – all provinces except Quebec), she must achieve a certain score on tests in written and spoken English administered by TOEFL (Test Of English As A Foreign Language) in order to qualify for a VisaScreen Certificate.

VISA SCREEN
Who is ICHP?

The International Commission on Health Care Professions is a division of CGFNS. CGFNS launched ICHP in 1996 to administer its VisaScreen program, which is a federally approved screening program for foreign healthcare workers seeking an occupational visa in the United States. VisaScreen enables healthcare professionals to meet this requirement by verifying and evaluating their credentials to ensure that they meet the government’s minimum eligibility standards. Applicants who successfully complete VisaScreen receive a VisaScreen Certificate.

What does VisaScreen require for certification?

International nurses must satisfy the screening requirements of Section 343 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act that include:

Applicants who successfully complete VisaScreen will receive a VisaScreen Certificate, which can be presented to a consular office or, in the case of adjustment of status, the Attorney General as part of a visa application. As a result, we suggest that you proceed with the Visa Screen Application as soon as your I-140 (green card) application has been filed with INS.

What examinations are needed for the VisaScreen?

You only need to successfully complete either the CGFNS Qualifying Examination or the NCLEX-RN.

If I already have CGFNS Certification do I still need the Visa Screen in order to obtain an immigrant visa (green card)?

The VisaScreen Certificate is required for international nurses that are seeking a permanent visa (green card). You only need to successfully complete either the CGFNS Qualifying Examination or the NCLEX-RN, not both. As a result, you have satisfied the examination requirement for the Visa Screen.

How can I obtain additional information about the VisaScreen?

International Commission on Healthcare Professions
3600 Market Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2665
USA
Phone: 1-(215) 349-8767
E-mail: support@ichp.org
Applications for the Visa Screen can be down loaded from the CGFNS site: www.cgfns.org

When is the Visa Screen Issued?

A visa screen certificate is issued only after the RN has demonstrated the equivalency of education, licensure and training; and the level of competence in oral and written English. The only organization authorized to issue the Visa Screen is the CGFNS. The visa screen is needed after the I-140 is approved, at the Consular interview.

So yes, you still need CGFNS certification for the visa screen.

For Schedule A I-140’s you need to have the full unrestricted license in the state of intended employment OR a certification that you passed CGFNS certification. Do not confuse the visa screen requirements with this.

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENT
What are the English Proficiency requirements for CGFNS?

All applicants are required to submit a passing score on either the TOEFL,TWE and TSE. For the TOEFL, TWE, and TSE, registered nurses must submit a score of 540 on the written TOEFL or 207 on the computer based TOEFL, 4.0 on the TWE and 50 on the TSE.

I attended nursing school in an English speaking country. Do I need to fulfill the English Proficiency Component of the CGFNS and Visa Screen?

Nurses from the following countries may qualify for an exemption from the English Proficiency
component of the CGFNS: Canada (except Quebec), UK, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. Nurses from Trinidad and Tobago may also be eligible for this exemption. To qualify for the exemption the nurse’s native language has to be English, the language of instruction has to be English, and the language of all texts had to be in English. Nurses from all other countries will be required to comply with the English Proficiency Requirements

How do I apply to sit for the TOEFL, TSE and TWE?

These examinations are offered by the Educational Testing Services. For more details about these examinations you should contact them directly:
Educational Testing Services
P.O. Box 6151
Princeton, N.J. 08541-6151 USA
Telephone: (609) 771-7100
Email: toefl@ets.org

How many years is TOEFL good for?

TOEFL scores are only valid for two years. Also, the CGFNS Qualifying Exam and TOEFL examination must be taken within two years of each other for both scores to be valid for certification purposes.

CHILDREN AND SPOUSE
I am a nurse that is applying for an I-140 visa and I want to be able to bring my spouse and children with me to the United States. How should I proceed?

If the I-140 applicant is outside the U.S., their dependents (spouse and children under 21) will
be eligible to enter the United States as permanent residents once the I-140 is approved and the family undergoes consular processing. As a result, the spouse and children under 21 would also receive green cards, and would be entitled to work. If in the United States, and eligible to apply for an adjustment of status (I-485) then the dependents are eligible to file I-485 concurrently with the principle’s application.

I am a nurse that will be entering the United States under either a H-2B, H-1B, or an H-1C Visa. Will I be able to bring my spouse and children with me to the United States?

The children and spouse may enter as H-4 derivatives, but will not be authorized to work until they convert to permanent resident status.

How do I obtain a license to practice nursing in the United States?

To work as a Registered Nurse in the United States, you must be licensed in the state in which you plan to practice. International nurses should contact the nursing board in the states they wish to practice to verify current requirements because each state has its own individual requirements for licensure. Initial licensure in a state is awarded by receiving a passing grade on the National Council License Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Once you pass the NCLEX-RN and are licensed in a state, you may apply to other states through a process known as endorsement. To obtain contact information on all the state nursing boards please visit the following website: www.allnurses.com

What is the NCLEX-RN?

The NCLEX-RN is an application-based examination that is designed to make sure that each nurse has the knowledge to practice safely at a minimum of an entry level registered nurse. It is a computerized multiple choice examination. For more details about NCLEX visit the National Council of State Boards: http://www.ncsbn.org

To work as a Registered Nurse in the United States, you must be licensed in the state in which you plan to practice. Initial licensure in a state is awarded by receiving a passing grade on the National Council License Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®). Once you pass the NCLEX-RN and are licensed in a state, you may apply to other states through a process known as endorsement.

The NCLEX-RN is designed to make sure that each nurse has the knowledge to practice safely at a minimum of an entry-level registered nurse. Many nursing schools in other countries have examinations that are knowledge-based, testing you on the facts you have learned. The NCLEX-RN, however, is an application-based examination.