2002 News

CGFNS opens new exam center in Cochin, India

PHILADELPHIA, PA — JUNE 25, 2002 — The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) and Mr. A.C. Jose, Member of Parliament from Kerala, jointly announced that CGFNS will establish a test center to conduct its Qualifying Exam for nurses in Cochin, Kerala, India. This center will be in addition to the organization’s current test center in India, located at Bangalore in the State of Karnataka. CGFNS expects that the first exam to be administered in Cochin will be in March 2003.

The joint announcement was made in Washington, D.C., while Mr. Jose was on a private visit to the United States. Mr. Jose has actively sought the establishment of a CGFNS test center in Kerala.

CGFNS administers its Qualifying Exam three times each year for nurses educated outside the United States who wish to practice nursing in the United States. The exams are administered in 40 countries worldwide in March, July and November. CGFNS received approval from the Indian Government to administer its exam in India in 2001. The first exam in India was given at Bangalore on March 13, 2002. The exams scheduled for July 10, 2002 and November 13, 2002, will also be administered in Bangalore, while preparations are being made for the opening of the additional center in Cochin.

Applicants wishing to sit for any of the 2003 Qualifying Exams in Cochin should designate the Cochin center number, #851, on their application form at the time of filing. The test center number for Bangalore is #850.

The dates and deadlines for the CGFNS Qualifying Exam^SM in 2002 and 2003 are as follows:

The Qualifying Exam, one of the elements of the CGFNS Certification Program, tests the nursing skills of nurses who seek to practice nursing in the United States. The Certification Program is designed for first-level, general nurses educated outside the United States, who wish to become licensed in the United States. The three elements that comprise the Certification Program are 1) a credentials review, 2) the Qualifying Exam, and 3) an English language proficiency examination.

In addition, United States law provides that nurses seeking to obtain permanent work visas to the United States to work in their profession must obtain a "VisaScreen Certificate" from CGFNS. This certificate attests to: 1) the comparability of the nurse’s education and training to that offered in the United States, (2) ability to speak and write English at an appropriate level, and (3) possession of a currently valid and unencumbered nursing license.

CGFNS is an immigration-neutral, private organization, which is independent of any recruiting or referring organization. It was established in 1977 with the encouragement of the U.S. Department of State and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Its sole mission is to evaluate the credentials of health care professionals (other than doctors) seeking to work in the United States.

Further information about CGFNS and its Qualifying Exam is available at www.cgfns.org.