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.

The CGFNS Certification Program is a three-part program designed to predict an  applicant’s likelihood of passing the NCLEX examination and becoming licensed as a registered nurse in the United States. The three parts of the program include a credentials review, a Qualifying Exam of nursing knowledge and an English language proficiency examination. Applicants must successfully complete all three parts of the Certification Program in order to earn the CGFNS Certificate.
 

 The Credentials Evaluation Service evaluates the comparability of an international  education and preparation to U.S. standards. The CES provides detailed reports for  regulatory bodies, educational programs and employers. Two levels of report are available: Healthcare Profession and Science Course-by-Course Report and Full  Education Course-by-Course Report.
 

The International Commission on Healthcare Professions ( ICHP)  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.
 

What is VisaScreen?
 U.S. Immigration law now requires that healthcare 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, enables healthcare 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 the new law as a qualified provider of such a screening program.

VisaScreen does an educational review, licensure review, English language skills assessment and predictive examination for nurses. 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

The Visa Screen requires your educational documents to prove that your education is equivalent to a U.S. awarded RN education. For those  Canadian's educated in Quebec it also requires that you pass 3 English exams, the TOEFL, TSE and TWE.

The sucessful completion of either, but NOT BOTH, CGFNS Qualifying Exam or the NCLEX-RN examination is required in order to complete the VisaScreen application

The Visa Screen is an immigration requirement and if you have passed NCLEX you are not required to take the CGFNS exam in order to receive it.

Requirements for the Visa Screen

1.Complete the VisaScreen application.
 2.Complete the enclosed forms to send to your nursing school(s). Academic  transcripts must come directly from the nursing school(s).
 3.Complete the enclosed forms to send to your licensing authority(ies). Validations of all licenses, past and present, must come directly from the licensing authorities.
 4.You must successfully complete an English language proficiency test and have the scores directly forwarded to ICHP from the testing agency.
 5.You must successfully pass either the CGFNS Qualifying Exam or the NCLEX-RNâ  examination if you are a nurse.
 6.Enclose a copy of your high school diploma or equivalent.
 7.Enclose the application fee.
 

Applicants may be exempt from the English language proficiency requirement if they meet all of the following criteria:

• Country of professional education was Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom or the United States;
 • Language of instruction was English; and
 • Language of textbooks was English.
 

The difference between a CGFNS Certificate and the ICHP VisaScreen Certificate are as below:
The VisaScreen Certificate is a result of successful completion of the ICHP VisaScreen program, which meets all  federal requirements of a screening program for healthcare professionals seeking certain occupational visas in the United States. The CGFNS Certificate is a result of successful completion of the CGFNS 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.

 The Visa Screen certificattion requirement was waived at that time for TN healthcare workers who were employed with a TN status prior to Sept 23, 2003 and held a valid license from a US jurisdiction. The waiver is valid for an additional 1 year, until July 26, 2005. TN non-immigrant category was created under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994. The Trade NAFTA (TN) category has two subcategories, TN-1 and TN-2, for qualifying professionals - nationals of Canada and Mexico respectively.

The Visa Screen certification requirement mandates healthcare workers to be certified by a credentialing organization before they come to the US to work in the healthcare industry. Healthcare workers entering the US in both immigrant and no-immigrant status are subject to this requirement.

This mandatory certification is called a Visa Screen certification, named after the Visa Screen certification process established by the Commission of Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) for the purpose of healthcare workers’ certifying requirement. CGFNS now certifies healthcare workers in all 7 categories. Since 2004, in addition to CGFNS, the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certifies occupational therapists, and the Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT) certifies physical therapists.

The implementation of the Visa Screen certification for healthcare workers started on July 25, 2003, when the immigration authorities introduced the final rule. The final rule indicated September 23, 2003 as the effective date for implementation of the Visa Screen certification requirement, giving affected individuals an opportunity to examine the requirements and apply for a Visa Screen certificate. CGFNS, the only credentialing organization at the time, was overwhelmed by a number of applications for Visa Screen certification and unable to process them efficiently. In addition, numerous healthcare workers working in the US in non-immigrant status (for example, TN, H-1B, etc) became subject to Visa Screen certification and were not ready to meet the requirement.

As the effective date approached, the immigration authorities realized that the actual implementation of the rule would significantly compromise the ability of foreign healthcare workers to enter the US. As a result, the immigration authorities introduced the first transition period and postponed the implementation of the Visa Screen certification for healthcare workers in non-immigrant status until July 25, 2004. Now we enter the second transition period with a waiver of the Visa Screen certification for qualified healthcare workers from Canada and Mexico until July 25, 2005. Let us examine the importance of each of the following dates - July 25, 2003, September 23, 2004, July 26, 2004 and July 26, 2005 - for foreign healthcare workers again.

July 25, 2003. The Department of Homeland Security introduced the Visa Screen certification requirement for foreign healthcare workers in its final rule with a period for public comments until September 23, 2003.

September 23, 2003. The final rule came into effect. As of September 23, 2003, healthcare workers who came to the US to work in healthcare industry with an immigrant visa became subject to Visa Screen certification. No waivers have been available to this particular group of healthcare workers.

July 26, 2004. – Healthcare workers who came to the US to work in the healthcare industry with a non-immigrant visa were exempt from a Visa Screen certification until July 26, 2004. Before July 26, 2004, these healthcare workers were admitted to the US without a Visa Screen certificate. They can stay in the US in status after July 26, 2004 as long as they do not leave the US and do not extend their non-immigrant status. If they wish to do so, they must obtain a Visa Screen certificate and present it to the immigration authorities either at the US border or at the time of their status extension.

July 26, 2005. – Healthcare workers who were employed in the US in a TN category before September 23, 2003 and held a valid US license at the time will be exempt from the Visa Screen certification until July 26, 2005. The waiver of the Visa Screen certification is available only to Canadian and Mexican healthcare workers who were admitted to the US in a TN category on or before September 23, 2003. If such workers were initially admitted to the US in a TN category after September 23, 2003, they are not exempt from a Visa Screen certification.

July 26, 2006, July 26, 2007, etc. - After July 26, 2005, immigration authorities reserve the right to grant a waiver of the Visa Screen certification on a case-by-case basis.

The second transition period specifically benefits TN registered nurses from Canada and Mexico. The new waiver of the Visa Screen certification is not a surprise. This waiver is a result of a heavy lobbying campaign initiated by US hospitals along the Canadian border. However, it is a great disappointment for Canadian registered nurses whose ability to practice nursing in the US was greatly compromised by the Visa Screen certification.

What does this mean for a canadian RN
1)  a US nursing license obtained by Canadian nurses under state licensure reciprocity means nothing for the Visa Screen certification purposes
 2) Canadian RNs who have no intention of abandoning their Canadian residence  will have to re-apply for a Visa Screen certificate and pay $325.00 for its renewal every 5 years.

             Types of visas for Nurses
 

              1.A Permanent (immigrant) visa, also known as a "green card."
              2.A Temporary (non-immigrant) visa, of which there are three types: H-1B,
                 H-1C and TN (Trade NAFTA).

            Each visa category has its own numeric quota and length of renewal and stay. The
            term "green card" is known all over the world; however, it is not an official name. The
            offical name is Alien Registration Receipt Card. Many people believe, mistakenly,
            that green cards are work permits. Although that is one of its features, identifying
            the holder as a permanent resident of the U.S. is its main function. A green card
            holder is required to make the U.S. their permanent home, if they do not, they risk
            losing the card.
 
 
 

More information on the CGFNS and VisaScreen etc etc etc at the FAQ page of the CGFNS
 

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