RN Tourist in the US wants to legally work

[020871 2]

I have an RN friend who is already 3 months here in the US and want to work legally. How can she do that? She is preparing for her NCLEX apparently, she is not working right now. She worked in UAE as an RN for 15 yrs. Any help will be much appreciated.

 

Thank you.

[Crazy Cat 41,884]

Extremely unlikely that she will be able to do that...........work is not allowed while here via a B2.   In addition, she has not even met the basic  requirements for the practice of Nursing anywhere in the United States...........that, in itself, takes several months at best.  Her best course of action is to return home prior to expiration of her I-94, and plan from there.

Edited May 12, 2019 by missileman

[Crazy Cat 41,884]

One more thing:  There is absolutely NO way she can obtain a Nursing license in the US if she is not legally present in a status which allows work......and at present, she is not an RN.

Edited May 12, 2019 by missileman

[Cathi 5,754]

She can't.

[Elle29 52]

I know an NCLEX passer who came here on a K1 and still needed to wait for her EAD to be able to work. Take note, she was already a USRN when she came here So the answer is NO. There are also some states that require SSN and fingerprinting.

[Cryssiekins 976]

She’s definitely going to need to return home prior to the expiration on her i94.

 

If she’s here visiting a romantic partner, they may want to explore the option of marrying, and then either file for a fiancé visa or a spousal visa - both of which would be done while she is outside the US.   

[Roel 7,192]

Your friend needs to leave before her allowed time comes to an end. That will save her some headaches in future. Sounds like she's not a tourist anymore anyway. 

 

Then she can start looking into proper ways to immigrate and work in the US. 

[Boiler 45,524]

She can contact prospective Employers who might be willing to sponsor her for a Green Car, not a quick or cheap process.

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

She can’t do it now, however, I believe it is still relatively easy for a licensed nurse to get sponsored for a green card. There are a number of agencies that both help with completion of nclex if necessary and arranging an employment contract. Typically it is a 2-3 year contract at rates slightly lower than market, as a quid pro quo for the GC sponsorship. Someone I know went through this process a couple of years back and it took about a year all in all to get to visa interview stage.

[Crazy Cat 41,884]

One note to the OP:  Registered Nurses are licensed by individual states.  Each state has its own rules and requirements as dictated by each state's Board of Nursing.......immigration and federal work requirements are a separate issue.

Edited May 12, 2019 by missileman

[Crazy Cat 41,884]

https://nurse.org/articles/work-in-us-as-foreign-educated-nurse/

There is a detailed explanation for each step.

8-Steps To Work In The U.S. As A Nurse

There are eight key steps foreign-educated nurses will need to take in order to obtain a position as an RN in a U.S. hospital. 

1. Meet the educational requirements
2. Take and pass an English language proficiency test, if mandated.
3. Obtain credential evaluation  
4. Pass your National Council Licensing Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX – RN)
5. Find a nursing recruiting agency or US-based employer
6. Apply and obtain an RN immigrant visa/green card
7. RN visa interview and medical examination
8. Accept an RN position

Edited May 12, 2019 by missileman

[bakphx1 789]

If they are from an English speaking country there are case management positions or other review positions involving documentation review that are RN positions but they don’t necessarily need to have a current state license to do the work, as that’s up to employer discretion, though not a breeze to get around.   An understanding of how American-based government and insurance payment schemes work would help but keep in mind it is not like anywhere else.  These are hard to fill positions in areas so they may be willing to train on that point.  Since it’s focused on documentation, Solid English is critical. They would still probably have to return home and be sponsored though.  I will say my instinct is you can’t adjust a visa from a tourist to an employer-based visa, but I have no direct knowledge.