2005 News

CGFNS Designates Barbados and Jamaica as English Exempt Countries for the Purpose of 212(r) Visa Certification

PHILADELPHIA, PA — OCTOBER 19, 2005 — The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) announced that it has added Barbados and Jamaica to the list of English exempt countries under Section 212(r) of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act. Nurses from countries who qualify under Section 212(r) are eligible for this alternative screening of their professional credentials for the purpose of immigration.

To qualify for the Certified Statement, foreign educated nurses from a Section 212(r) designated country must have passed the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). They must hold a current, valid and unrestricted license from one of the five designated Section 212(r) states—Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, and New York. And they must have graduated from a nursing program in which the language of instruction and textbooks were in English.

Effective September 21, 2005, Barbados and Jamaica join Australia, Canada (including the five recently CGFNS designated English-Language Schools from Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, and the United Kingdom as 212(r) designated countries. 212(r) status exempts nurses from English language proficiency examinations and qualifies them to receive a Certified Statement from CGFNS as an alternative process in lieu of a VisaScreen^® certificate.

CGFNS, a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization was designated by the U.S. Congress in 1996 to conduct a health care worker visa certification program. In response, CGFNS established a VisaScreen^® program to assess credentials of foreign health care workers and provide the government-required visa certificate now mandated by the Department of Homeland Security rules issued in 2003. CGFNS has been given the authority to designate countries eligible for the exemption under Section 212(r) if the quality of nursing education in that country and the English language proficiency of those who complete such programs is sufficient.

"The ability to designate English exempt countries under Section 212(r) enables CGFNS to more efficiently serve the needs of foreign educated nurses seeking U.S.-based employment, while still maintaining the vigorous and high standards for nursing care and practice that we are charged to protect," said Barbara L. Nichols, CGFNS Chief Executive Officer.