Most individuals seeking to immigrate to the United States through employment must first obtain either labor certification or demonstrate that they possess unique or extraordinary abilities in their field.

However, the US government has made a special exception for registered nurses, given the growing shortage of professional nurses. Classified by the INS as so-called "Schedule A" professionals, registered nurses may be able to benefit from an expedited path toward lawful permanent residence, without having to undergo the "labor certification" process.

To qualify for this expedited immigration process, nurses seeking to immigrate must be able to demonstrate that they possess professional credentials equivalent to any U.S.-trained nurse. This is performed by obtaining a VisaScreen certification for foreign healthcare workers, administered by the International Commission on Healthcare Professions (ICHP), a division of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS).

To be eligible for immigrant sponsorship by a hospital, foreign nurses educated in non-English speaking countries must possess or obtain:

-an unrestricted and unencumbered nursing license from the nurse's home country (if the nurse was educated outside the United States),
-a passing score on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), a frequently scheduled examination offered exclusively in the United States (and U.S. territories such as Guam), and
-a passing score on either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB), and
-a passing score on the CGFNS examination (the CGFNS examination is offered three times per year, at over 50 locations in the United States and around the world).

Nurses who received their professional education in certain English-speaking countries have an easier set of procedures to become eligible for immigrant sponsorship. In lieu of a VisaScreen certificate from CGFNS, such nurses may be qualified for immigrant sponsorship if they possess or obtain:

-an unrestricted and unencumbered nursing license from the nurse's home country (if the nurse was educated outside the United States),
-a passing score on the NCLEX-RN, and
-a passing score on the CGFNS examination or CGFNS certification that the nurse possesses an unencumbered nursing license from the US state of intended employment.

For more information go to www.visaus.com/nurses-imm.html