Purpose: A VisaScreen® Certificate is valid for five years from the date that it is issued. After five years, the certificate will expire and you may need to be recertified if you have not obtained U.S. citizenship, a permanent visa (Green Card), or wish to renew a temporary occupational visa, including Trade NAFTA status to continue working in the United States. The primary method of updating your VisaScreen® certification is by placing a VisaScreen® Renewal order.
What if your certificate has been expired for more than six months?
If you were unable to place your order for the VisaScreen® Renewal within six months’ time from your certificate’s expiration date, you must place a standard VisaScreen® order to update your certification. In this instance, your order will be reviewed as if it were a renewal, meaning that new academic information will not be required as your education was previously found to be acceptable, and you may still be eligible for exemption from the English requirement based on employment in the United States.
The primary difference between obtaining a re-certification VisaScreen® Renewal order placed six months after your certificate expiration is the cost. The standard VisaScreen® order costs and renewal order costs can be found on our fee schedule page. Certificates obtained by renewal order are dated five years from the previous expiration date. If you are re-certified upon completion of a standard order, the certification will expire five years from the date your certificate is issued.
How to order. Once your VisaScreen® Certificate has become Expired, you can order a Renewal by following these instructions:
• Log into your CGFNS Connect account
• Choose the option to purchase CGFNS Services
• At the service selection screen, choose VisaScreen® Renewal Application
The renewal order can be placed in the six months prior to your certificate’s expiration date or within six months after the expiration date. We recommend allowing six months for a renewal order to be completed. Upon payment of a renewal order, you will have one year to submit the necessary requirements. Requirements for renewal include:
- Log in to your CGFNS Connect account and upload a passport-style photograph; or print the CGFNS Photo Identification Form. Attach an official passport photo and submit by mail to CGFNS International. Photos on record are valid for only 5 years.
- Updated validations of every license you have held, including both expired licenses and licenses validated for a previous order if the validation on file is more than three years.
- Updated proof of English language proficiency (NOTE: CGFNS does not accept the at-home versions of English Language Proficiency exams). Renewal or previously certified applicants may be exempt from this requirement if the following is met:
The period of employment must be for at least 27–36 months, including nine months in the year before the date that your renewal application is submitted. Your employer needs to submit and sign an employment summary on corporate letterhead for the English requirement to be waived.
Note: New academic information is not required to renew your VisaScreen® Certificate.
