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To be admissible to the U.S. California as a permanent resident, the foreign-trained nurse needs a certificate of competency. To obtain the certificate of competency, the nurse must pass both the Commission of Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) Qualifying Exam and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam or IELTS. Alternatively the nurse can take NCLEX exam and by pass CGFNS. The CGFNS exam is given three times a year at more than 40 exam centers throughout the world. The nurse must have a full and unrestricted license to practice professional nursing in the state of intended employment, which entails the nurse passing the NCLEX examination (National Council Licensure Examination) and attaining licensure as a registered nurse.

The nurse also must have a job offer from a U.S. employer. The employer acts as a sponsor for the immigrating nurse and files a Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker on the nurse's behalf. Nursing Resources will be that sponsoring employer. Professional nursing is a pre-certified shortage occupation so the petition would be filed under a process that skips the usual requirement to acquire a certification from the U.S. Department of Labor. Once the nurse is in the U.S., he or she files an application to take the NCLEX examination (National Council Licensure Examination) for permanent licensure. The nurse must take the NCLEX within 30 days of registering for the exam.

TOEFL/ETS Services

P.O. Box 6151
Princeton, NJ 08541-6151
Phone: (609) 771-7100
Fax: (609) 771-7500
Email: toefl@ets.org
http://www.toefl.org/

Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools

3600 Market Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: (215) 222-8454 or (215) 349-8767
Fax: (215) 662-0425
Email: maito:info@cgnfs.org
http://www.cgnfs.org/

National Council of State Boards of Nursing

676 N. St. Clair Street
Suite 550
Chicago, Illinois, 60611-2921
Phone: (312) 787-6555
http://www.ncsbn.org/

Obtaining a CGFNS Certificate

All applicants are reminded that in order to obtain a CGFNS Certificate, they must pass both the CGFNS Qualifying Exam and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). For information and/or registration for the TOEFL exam, contact ETS at: Test of English as a Foreign Language, Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 6151, Princeton, NJ 08541-6151, USA; Telephone (609) 771-7100.

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