2005 News

Deadline for Canadian and Mexican health care professionals to obtain VisaScreen^® Certificates is fast approaching

PHILADELPHIA, PA — MARCH 17, 2005 — If you are a Canadian or Mexican health care professional (registered nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, or medical technologist) working in the United States under Trade NAFTA status and were licensed and employed prior to September 23, 2003, the deadline for obtaining your VisaScreen^® Certificate is fast approaching. You are required by the Department of Homeland Security to have your VisaScreen^® Certificate by July 26, 2005.

This certification process includes an assessment of an applicant’s education to ensure that it is comparable to that of a U.S. graduate in the same profession; verification that all licenses are valid and unencumbered; successful completion of an English language proficiency examination and a test of oral and written English (unless exempt); and, in the cases of registered nurses, verification that the nurse has passed either the CGFNS Qualifying Examination or the National Council Licensing Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools, (CGFNS) is one of the organizations recognized by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide this service. CGFNS administers this certification process through its division, the International Commission on Healthcare Professions, (ICHP). The CGFNS/ICHP process is called VisaScreen, and a VisaScreen^® Certificate is issued to the applicant upon successful completion of the review process.

If you have not applied for the VisaScreen^® Program, you can apply in one of three ways:

• Request a copy of the VisaScreen^® Handbook and Application from CGFNS by mail or phone.
• Apply online. Click on the Apply Online under the Information section of the homepage.
• Download the VisaScreen^® Handbook and Application from www.cgfns.org. Click on Applications and Forms under the Information section of the homepage.

If you have applied to CGFNS/ICHP for a VisaScreen^® Certificate, you can check the status of your file, including documents received and any other outstanding requirements, by visiting our Web site at www.cgfns.org. If you do not have access to the web, you can check the status of your application by calling our 24-hour Automated Voice Response System at 215-599-6200. You will need your CGFNS ID Number and birth date in order to access the system.

Due to the deadlines set by Department of Homeland Security for the Trade NAFTA professional to present their VisaScreen^® Certificate, it is imperative that CGFNS/ICHP receive the required education form, transcripts and license validation as soon as possible. CGFNS/ICHP recommends applicants contact their nursing schools and licensing agencies to encourage them to promptly return the educational documents and license validations to CGFNS/ICHP.

We look forward to assisting in you in meeting this requirement.