Just Start....

Where to begin......

As an RN educated in Canada, one would think that the USA and Canada would have some agreement that a BSN is equivalent to a BSN..... especially with the current state of the world amidst this pandemic....but that is really, so very far from the truth......or so has been my experience thus far. Working as an RN in the USA as a Canadian is not as easy as it should be, but it's not so hard that you can't figure it out, I promise.

So as I like to do with all impossible looking things........let's start at the beginning. 

All across the board, there is a general consensus of the very basic requirements you will need to meet, in order to work as an RN in any of the 50 states in the USA. 

First step------ you should clock in a minimum of 1 year experience in your specialty. This part has nothing to do with your immigration, and everything to do with your marketability, and utility as a travel nurse. If you want to get hired, and you want to feel confident out there, put in the time. 

Most nursing agencies require travellers have 2+ years experience in order to be considered for travel positions, and many hospitals echo this. I have seen some agencies/hospitals  requiring only one year, but they are limited. I highly suggest dedicating at least one year to the consolidation of your nursing skills, mastering time management, and getting to know your strengths and weaknesses as a nurse. After one year, re assess if you ready, willing, and able to pursue a career in travel nursing. If you have already been working for a year or more, you probably understand why this is a requirement. 

WAIT! Why wait only one year, when most places require 2??? 

It can take up to a year to get things lined up. Plain and simple. This process takes time. I knew that going in, and STILL one of my biggest regrets so far, is waiting until I felt ready to go, before I started the process. Pay the fee, get the ball rolling. I know it is a pretty hefty investment up front, but you will be happy you did it. The time will pass anyways, might as well have your future plans underway. You don't have to have your bags packed in order to apply for your visa screen, and considering it is valid for 5 years, it is a solid idea to start this process 6-12 months before you plan to travel. 

OK 

So you graduated nursing school, passed the NCLEX, got hired locally, and now have at least one year of experience. Now what? Should you contact a recruiter? 

NO

Even the ones that claim to support Canadians, or have special departments for Canadian nurses, can't/don't do anything for you beyond what I will tell you here, and after filling out profiles for probably 10+ agencies, I can confidently say that this is a GIGANTIC waste of time. At least for now, you will still have to do all this stuff on your own. But I am here to help!

Believe it or not, the next step is to choose your first location. 

Seems crazy to choose that first, really narrows down our job prospects....  HOWEVER, as a Canadian RN going to the USA on a TN Visa

⏭you need a job contract in order be approved for said visa. 

⏭In order to get a job offer, you need a nursing license in the state you want to work

⏭and in order to get a license, in an overwhelming majority of the USA, you will need a SSN. 

⏭⏭⏭In order to get a SSN in the USA, you need to get a job and to get across the border.....and around we go

SO how the hell do we navigate this???

Luckily for us, there are a few states that will issue you an RN license WITHOUT you providing a ssn and so one of these states will have to be your launch pad. Once you cross the border and get your SSN, that is yours for life, and opens the door to all the other states. Even if you qualify for a license without a ssn, you WILL still need a ssn in order to work in the USA..... this application is done after you arrive. 

I had heard rumors regarding which states these Canadian applicant friendly states were through nursing forums, and friends I knew who went through it, and they seemed to match with what I found for myself online.These are the mainstream ones, the ones that openly state you can apply for and receive a license, or sit for the NCLEX  without a ssn......so seemingly the easiest/only options for a first time Canadian RN going to the USA as a travel nurse. I insist that you look into each state for yourself, as requirements and processes change fast. 

WA

NY

MN

TX

I think maybe Idaho..... 

Out of the lists I was seeing, I felt that NY was the only real bucket list place on there for me, and if it was a viable starting point, I would love to go to NY.

So that is the state I chose first. 

I researched.

 All the info I could find stated 6-8 weeks for a license.... a bit longer than some other places, but worth the wait of a couple months.....

6 to 8 weeks for NY is a giant lie, at least for us foreign educated Canadians..... I will be writing in depth as to why I absolutely do not recommend NY as first stop if you graduated before Jan 2015. ......it is not ideal, I would choose differently if I could go back. Not just the length of time, but some other factors contribute to my reccomendation against NY as a first stop. 

The reason you want to select your state first is because a) you need to select a state that does not require a ssn for licensing, and b) every state has different requirements and the services you buy from CGFNS will be linked to the state you apply in. 

Choose the state that best suits you. DO NOT APPLY for your license in this state or pay for any services just yet.....Just follow the links to the BON site, review the requirements, and make a note. 

The next step is buying your services from CGFNS. 

When you first go the CGFNS website, it asks you to create an applicant profile. It is important that this information is up to date and matches your ID. Once your profile is complete, you can purchase services. So everyone needs the visa screen, which is what qualifies you for a TN Visa and costs 590.00 USD at the time of writing this. At the same time you can purchase whichever credential eval is required for your state. This will vary based on location but you can check what you need right on the website, or by clicking here SERVICE HELPER

It is ideal to buy these services at the same time as they have alot of overlapping requirements, so CGFNS can apply them to your file, to both services, as they come in. This is not a requirement either, if you want to get the visa screen squared away, then decide later which state to apply to, that's ok too. I did the visa screen and CVS for NY together, and the timing worked great.....or so, it should have....

So to recap, to get started......

Graduate nursing school, get a minimum of 1 year experience, then 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

Passing score on the NCLEX- you can apply for your RN license via exam, which allows you to register and write the NCLEX in the same state you are seeking licensure, if you have not already passed it. I will focus more so on the process for those of us that have passed, simply because that is what my experience is based on, and as of 2015, that includes all RN graduates. 

CGFNS or equivalent... 2 parts - You can purchase your visa screen anytime and you get 1 year to submit the required documents. Everyone needs this document. Processing can be 4-12 months depending on how complex your file is. Mine took just over 3 months. 

In many states, even after you have your SSN, and have a working history in the USA, they will still require some type of education evaluation in order to give you a license. Certainly for your first position, in order to get a license in any of the Canadian applicant friendly states, you will need a visa screen as well as a credential eval (CES or CVS). 

I used CGFNS and I will be providing the whole lowdown on this agency in the near future as it seems to be the one most widely recognized for credential evaluations, however each BON specifies if other providers are recognized.

Background check- many/most states will require a background check, which sometimes requires fingerprinting.

English Language requirements

License verifications for original licensing province, and current province.

As of today, I have applications pending in NY, and AZ. I have a partial application done for MN as well. I started this process in June of 2021. On Sept 20, my visa screen document arrived at my door (13 weeks from the time of purchase...which is actually very fast). Everything was happening way quicker than I expected, so I was excited to get started!! 

I discovered on Oct 12, almost 2 months after first applying for my license in NY, that the CVS, (a very specific credential verification for NY that I was required to purchase for for my NY application to the tune of 360 USD) was not sent by CGFNS even though they marked it sent on Aug 23, it never arrived in NY until Oct 18....... considering this is an online process, that is obviously totally unacceptable. A 2 month delay that they blamed on a computer glitch......an error that was only discovered because I was on top of the process, following the timelines, and following up as needed.

I have included some more info below on the 4 mainstream BONs with no ssn required for RN applications. I have included AZ as well, since it is my current experiment, while NY takes its sweet time to process my very foreign education 😒

Once you pick your state, go ahead and create your profile on CGFNS. Be prepared to provide a passport style photo, personal information, and to spend 590.00 USD for the visa screen and up to 360.00 USD for state specific credential evals. You don't have to have everything ready to submit in order to do this step either, it just opens up the portal for you so you can see what exactly you need to send in, and get updates on the process. 

AZ- international application- apply by exam, there is a place to select already passed, no ssn required, must sign affidavit, fingerprints required, specific requirements/ accommodations for Canadian/Puerto Rico educated RN's- * must have a US bank account with US funds in order to apply. See my post on AZ for more info and how to go about this. 

NY specific CVS from CGFNS, extra coursework on child abuse and infection control. I don't recommend starting here unless you are prepared to wait 6 months on top of the 4-12 months it takes for CGFNS, fingerprints not required. See my detailed post on the NY application process for more info.

MN - Canadian educated RN/ LPN pathway bypasses CGFNS credential eval. Must pass NCLEX, have license from original province forwarded, fingerprints and current employer letter required.

WA-specific CES from CGFNS, fingerprint/background check, English language requirement, license verification.

TX- CES from CGFNS dated within 1 year of application, English language requirement, license verification.

In the next one,  we will get more in depth into the actual requirements for the visa screen, as well as the CVS for NY, my experience with CGFNS, and things I discovered that were not posted online anywhere. I will give you an idea what my dashboard looks like and what to watch for once you have started that process. 

My Current license status 

🇨🇦Alberta - active 

🇨🇦British Columbia-Emergency temp active 

🇺🇲NEW YORK - processing 

Aug 23 - applied for license, paid fee, CGFNS dashboard stated "report sent" to NY

Oct 12- 7 weeks post app , contacted nysed, was informed no CVS on file. Contacted CGFNS, was given a lame excuse for error. 

Oct 18 -CVS finally recieved by nysed. CVS, education, and application sent for comparative evaluation- was told up to 3 months for review. ☠

🇺🇲ARIZONA - pending review 

Oct 15- application submitted 

Oct 18- mailed fingerprint card priority shipping 

Oct 21- tracking shows prints delivered Oct 20

🇺🇲MINNESOTA - pending review 

Oct 12- Application submitted 

Oct 22 - background check and work verification letter still outstanding. Will submit next week.