Definition
CGNFS or NCLEX-RN certified foreign nurses belong to the third preference group in employment-based immigration. This category requires employer sponsorship and means only the employer (hospital, nursing home etc.) may apply for permanent residence for foreign nurses. Unlike most of the employment-based immigration application, employers are exempted from filing labor certification.
Required Documents and Qualification
1. A diploma from a nursing school in her country
2. A license to practice nursing in her country
3. An unrestricted license in a state of intended employment, or a certification that she has passed either the U.S. licensing examination (NCLEX-RN) but cannot obtain the license for lack of a social security number, or she has passed the examination given by Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS).
4. VisaScreen Certificate
In addition, unless the nurse was educated in an English-speaking country, she must achieve a certain score on tests in written and spoken English administered by TOEFL or IELTS in order to qualify for a VisaScreen Certificate.
Passing scores for RNs are as follows: TOEFL Paper-Based 540; TOEFL Computer-Based 207; Test of Written English (TWE) 4.0; Test of Spoken English (TSE) 50. IELTS (Academic Module only): 6.5; IELTS Spoken Band: 7.0.