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VisaScreen: Visa Credentials Assessmentby Judith PendergastOn July 25, 2003, the Department of Homeland Security published its final rule related to Section 343 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. Section 343 requires that certain foreign health care workers have their credentials evaluated and certified before they will be allowed to work in their profession in the United States. The following are frequently asked questions that the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) receives.
Who
is CGFNS? The International Commission on Healthcare 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. What is VisaScreen and why do I need it? 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. What does VisaScreen look at? 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. If I am a registered nurse, do I need to complete the CGFNS Qualifying Exam and the NCLEX-RN® examination in order to complete my VisaScreen application? No. You only need to successfully complete either one of the exams. What are the VisaScreen requirements?
Applicants may be exempt from the English language proficiency requirement if they meet all of the following criteria:
The applicant typically pays for the VisaScreen program. The application fee can be paid by an international money order or certified bank check in U.S. dollars, drawn on a U.S. bank and made payable to "ICHP," or by one of the following credit cards: Visa, Mastercard or Discover/Novus. Must I submit my original documents for review? Yes and no. ICHP accepts clear and legible photocopies of secondary school documents for evaluation. However, ICHP will only accept original verification from issuing agencies. All validation of registration/licenses and the applicant’s professional school’s transcripts must come directly from the issuing authority to ICHP. In addition, since ICHP verifies credential authenticity, ICHP maintains the right to validate any documentation with the source agency. What do I do if my educational institution has closed? ICHP only accepts certain documentation from source agencies (such as transcripts and validations of registration/ licensure). If your school has closed or no longer operates, you will need to contact the organization or agency authorized to hold documentation for that institution (such as a ministry of health or the national, provincial or state licensing authority in your country of education). If you are uncertain about where to go, call the ICHP Customer Service Department. Do I need to have validations for all licenses I have ever held to complete my VisaScreen application? Yes. CGFNS requries all VisaScreen applicants to provide validations of ALL licenses they have held, past and present. The validations must be sent directly to CGFNS from the issuing authority(ies). Can I provide a photocopy of my license instead of a validation? No. CGFNS requires that official validations of licenses must be completed and sent directly from the issuing authorities. What do I do if the agency that issued my license is no longer in existence? CGFNS only accepts validations of licensure from the source agency. If that agency has closed or no longer operates, you will need to contact the organization or agency authorized to hold documentation for that institution (such as a Ministry of Health or the national, provincial or state licensing authority in your country). If you are uncertain about where to go, contact the CGFNS Customer Service Department for assistance. What if my documents are not in English? A certified word-for-word English translation, signed with a certification of authenticity by the translator, must accompany any credentials not in English. If you cannot furnish a translation of your documents, ICHP can provide an official translation of each document for an additional fee. ICHP will accept translations of documents submitted by source agencies (such as transcripts and validations) only from the issuing authorities. Otherwise, ICHP will translate documents for the appropriate fee. How does ICHP ensure its evaluations? To ensure quality evaluations, ICHP consistently uses standards developed by the specific profession as the foundation for the assessment of an applicant’s qualification. What is the difference between a CGFNS Certificate and the ICHP VisaScreen Certificate? 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. Once a VisaScreen Certificate is issued, who receives the original document? The VisaScreen Certificate is issued directly to the applicant who successfully completed all of the requirements of the program. The applicant then presents it to a consular office or attorney general (when applicable) as part of a visa application. I am from a foreign country, but graduated from a college in the United States. Do I still need to apply for the VisaScreen program? Yes. Although your professional education was completed in the United States, the purpose of the VisaScreen program is to provide a screening program which meets all federal requirements for international healthcare professionals seeking an occupational visa in the United States, irrespective of where the professional education was completed. What are the passing scores for the English language proficiency examinations?
Under the current US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) regulations, ICHP can certify registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech language pathologists and audiologists, medical technologists, medical technicians and physicians’ assistants. I am a foreign-educated healthcare worker (not in one of the professions mentioned) who is subject to the provisions of Section 343. I have all the necessary paperwork to immigrate to the United States. Why can’t CGFNS issue me the necessary certification? INS has chosen to limit the number of occupations for which certificates can be issued. INS anticipates that additional occupations, and perhaps additional organizations, would be added when a final rule is promulgated. CGFNS has consistently expressed its disagreement with this approach to USCIS, noting that it has statutory authority to certify all healthcare professions other than physicians. USCIS continues to disagree. Do I need a VisaScreen Certificate if I am a Canadian entering the United States on a "TN" visa? Yes. Certificates are required for healthcare workers entering the United States on permanent and temporary, including the "TN" Visa categories. I am a foreign-educated healthcare professional who is seeking to obtain my permanent residence status based on my relationship (e.g., spouse or minor) to a U.S. citizen. Do I need to obtain a VisaScreen Certificate? No. Foreign-educated healthcare professionals who seek permanent residence status based on their relationship to an American citizen are not subject to Section 343 and do not need to obtain a VisaScreen Certificate. I am a foreign-educated healthcare professional in a non-clinical occupation (such as medical teachers or researchers, administrators of healthcare facilities, medical consultants, etc.). Do I need to obtain certification under Section 343? No. Healthcare professionals coming to the United States to perform services in non-clinical healthcare occupations that do not provide patient care are not required to obtain certification under Section 343. However, healthcare professionals who are indirectly involved in the performance of patient care (such as supervisory nurses, etc.) must obtain certification under Section 343, such as the VisaScreen Certificate. I am a nurse who holds a CGFNS Certificate. Do I still need to apply for the VisaScreen Certificate? Yes. The VisaScreen Certificate is required for all healthcare professionals (except physicians) who are seeking an immigrant visa or a change in status to permanent residency. One of the requirements of the VisaScreen program is that nurses must have passed either the CGFNS Qualifying Exam or the NCLEX-RN®® examination. Since you already have the CGFNS Certificate, you will not have to take another nursing exam to obtain your visa, and your transcripts on file may be used for the educational evaluation element of the VisaScreen program.
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