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CGFNS Denies VisaScreen® Certificates for Philippine Nurses Who Passed the Compromised June 2006 Philippine Licensure Examination FEBRUARY 14, 2007 — After careful consideration, the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS International) has decided that those Philippine nurses who were sworn in as licensed nurses in the Philippines following their passing the compromised licensure exam of June 2006 are not eligible for a VisaScreen® Certificate. CGFNS began investigating this issue soon after the first reports of irregularities were received and sent a fact-finding mission to the Philippines in September 2006. CGFNS has concluded that the licensure process for those who received their license as a result of passing the compromised June 2006 licensure examination raises significant questions about the accurate assessment of the competencies of many of those individuals. Therefore, CGFNS is unable to certify that the licensure is comparable to a U.S. license. In this instance, applicable U.S. immigration law will not permit CGFNS to issue the VisaScreen® Certificate required of internationally educated health care workers to those nurses who obtained Philippine licensure on the basis of passing the June 2006 nursing licensure examination. CGFNS notes, however, that the June 2006 passers are able to overcome this bar and qualify for a VisaScreen® Certificate by taking the equivalent of Tests 3 and 5 on a future licensing examination administered by Philippine regulatory authorities and obtaining a passing score. Consequently, CGFNS urges the Philippine authorities to provide an opportunity for re-take of those tests without surrender of licensure so that the June 2006 passers may qualify for the VisaScreen® Certificate. The integrity of foreign licensing systems ultimately affects the health and safety of patients in the United States, a primary consideration of CGFNS in its role in evaluating candidates under U.S. immigration law. The decision announced is made in support of this critical mission of CGFNS. Commentary: CGFNS denies VisaScreen® Certificates for Philippine nurses who passed the compromised June 2006 Philippine Licensure Examination BY: Barbara L. Nichols, Chief Executive Officer, Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS International) FEBRUARY 20, 2007 — The VisaScreen® Certification Program is a federally mandated immigration screening program for certain foreign health professionals seeking an occupational visa to the United States. CGFNS is designated by U.S. immigration law to administer this program. Pursuant to its mandate under Section 212(a)(5)(C) of the U.S. Immigration Nationality Act, CGFNS has determined that those Philippine nurses who were sworn in as licensed nurses in the Philippines following their passing the compromised June 2006 licensure examination are not eligible for the issuance of a VisaScreen® Certificate. CGFNS has further determined that the June 2006 passers are able to overcome this bar and qualify for issuance of a VisaScreen® Certificate by taking the equivalent of Tests 3 and 5 on a future Philippine nursing exam. CGFNS acknowledges that those nurses who have been sworn in as registered nurses as a result of their passing the June 2006 licensure exam are validly licensed in the Philippines. CGFNS raises no question of their lawful right to practice nursing in the Philippines. U.S. immigration law, however, requires CGFNS to make a determination as part of the VisaScreen® process about several elements of the visa applicants' education, training, license and experience — including their comparability to U.S. nurses. After reviewing the circumstances concerning the irregularities of the June 2006 nursing licensing exam, CGFNS concluded that the licensure process for the June 2006 licensure exam is not comparable to that required of U.S. nurses, and that U.S. immigration law therefore prohibits issuance of a VisaScreen® Certificate to individuals who passed this exam. The VisaScreen® certification process is an Immigration process — not a licensure process — that must be satisfied to obtain an occupational visa to work in the United States. Passing NCLEX is a licensure requirement to practice nursing in the United States, but it is not a substitute for the federal VisaScreen® rule. Finally, it should be noted that some stories in the Philippine media have confused the VisaScreen® Certificate — issued pursuant to U.S. immigration law — with the CGFNS Certification Program (CP), which is provided to facilitate the licensure of foreign-educated nurses in the majority of U.S. States. The VisaScreen® Certificate is required of all foreign-national nurses who seek occupational visas under U.S. immigration law — regardless of which State in the United States that they intend to practice. CGFNS CEO ADVICE TO ROSERO: DECISION IS FINAL February 23, 2007— Professional Regulation Commission Chair Dr. Leonor Rosero and the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS International) CEO Barbara Nichols spoke with each other by telephone Saturday morning, February 24 Manila time. Dr. Nichols requested the telephone conversation so that she might provide Dr. Rosero with additional information regarding CGFNS’s recent decision to deny VisaScreen® certification to nurses licensed following the June 2006 licensure examination. A VisaScreen® Certificate is required before any health care worker educated outside the U.S. can be issued an occupational visa to work in the United States. During the conversation, Dr. Nichols assured Dr. Rosero that CGFNS was fully aware of and concerned about the hardship that its decision might cause to the June 2006 passers. Dr. Nichols noted, however, that the decision is final, and no useful purpose would be served by Dr. Rosero coming to the United States to make an "appeal" of that decision. The CGFNS CEO made several points during the conversation, among them:
Order Processing Fee Now Required for Select CGFNS Services Beginning on January 1, 2007, CGFNS began charging an Order Processing Fee of $50 for select CGFNS services, in addition to the published application fee. The Order Processing Fee defrays operational cost increases associated with energy, transportation, mail services, electronic record management, and technology enhancements for the secure transmission of documents. The Order Processing Fee is non-refundable and needs to be paid within 60 days of application, in addition to the published application fee for the associated CGFNS service. The Order Processing Fee applies to the following services:
Click here to view the 2007 CGFNS Fee Schedule. 2007 Certification Program (CP) Qualifying ExamSM Dates The deadline for internationally educated registered nurses who wish to take the July 11, 2007 Certification Program Qualifying Exam of nursing knowledge, required for licensure in the majority of U.S. states, is April 11, 2007. Click here for the 2007 Certification Program (CP) Qualifying ExamSM dates and locations. The following exam test centers will be CLOSED for the March 2007 CP Qualifying Exam.
CGFNS opens new exam centers in China The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS International) is pleased to announce that it is opening three new exam centers in China, in addition to the current exam site in Beijing, beginning with the July 11, 2007 CGFNS Qualifying Exam. The new exam centers in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu are currently scheduled to be open for the July 11, 2007 exam. The exam center number assigned for Shanghai is # 808; the exam center number assigned for Guangzhou is # 809; and the exam center number assigned for Chengdu is # 811. The exam center number assigned to Beijing is # 801. Applicants who are interested in taking the July Qualifying Exam in any of the four exam sites in China need to indicate the appropriate exam center number as their choice of exam center on their Certification Program application. The dates and deadlines for the CGFNS Qualifying ExamSM in 2007 are as follows: Exam Deadline for Application July 11, 2007 April 11, 2007 November 14, 2007 August 15, 2007 CGFNS is pleased to expand offering its Qualifying Exam in the Peoples Republic of China. CGFNS is an immigration-neutral, nonprofit organization based in Philadelphia, PA, USA, and is an internationally recognized authority on education, registration and licensure of nurses and health care professionals worldwide. CGFNS’s mission is to provide responsible leadership in the delivery of relevant services to the global nursing and health care community. The organization was founded in 1977 through a collaborative effort by representatives from the U.S. Department of Labor; Department of Health, Education and Welfare (now the Department of Health and Human Services); the Immigration and Naturalization Service; and representation from nursing organizations, including the American Nurses Association and the National League for Nursing. To obtain an application for the Certification Program (CGFNS Qualifying Exam) or for additional information about CGFNS and its services, contact: Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools, 3600 Market Street, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19104-2651 USA; telephone: (215) 349-8767; Web site: www.cgfns.org. |
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Does passage of the NCLEX or the CGFNS Exam make someone who passed only the June 2006 Exam eligible for a VisaScreen® Certificate? No. The passage of the NCLEX or the CGFNS Examination is only one of four general VisaScreen® requirements. Under normal circumstances, passage of either examination will fulfill this particular requirement. However, the license of those Philippine Nurses who passed only the June 2006 Exam has been determined to be "not comparable" to a U.S. nursing license due to the fact that the licensing examination given by the PRC was compromised. Therefore, the VisaScreen® certificate cannot be issued, as required by U.S. immigration law and its implementing regulations to those participating in only this compromised examination. Does the CGFNS decision have an effect on the validity of the Philippine nursing licensure? No. The CGFNS decision to deny the VisaScreen® to the June 2006 passers of the Philippine Nursing Licensure Examination relates only to U.S. immigration law.Thank You for Your Input To date, over 470 email recipients of Special Notices & Alerts from over 60 countries have responded to our reader online survey. Nearly 90 percent of the respondents agreed that they look forward to receiving Special Notices & Alerts every month by email, and 85 percent agreed that the content in Special Notices & Alerts is helpful to them. Nearly 80 percent of the respondents have clicked on the links contained within Special Notices & Alerts, and 45 percent have visited the online store. CGFNS thanks all survey respondents for their input. Your suggestions regarding what you would like to see in future issues of Special Notices & Alerts are extremely helpful. Look for future stories about immigration to the U.S., retrogression, state board of nursing requirements, Qualifying Exam statistics, statistics on the number of health care professionals who have used CGFNS’ services, application filing tips for easier processing, and the average timeline for receipt of required documents (by country). The 2007 Versions of the CGFNS/ICHP Program Handbooks and Applications Will Be Available in March 2007
Purchase All Study Materials Through Our Online Store
The new CGFNS online store is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The CGFNS Online Store allows purchasers of products the convenience of paying online, using a valid credit card, and receiving their orders faster than previous ordering methods. Please note: CGFNS no longer accepts or processes faxed, mailed, or in-person (walk-in) study material orders which require manual processing. All faxed and mailed orders that have been received and not yet processed will be returned to those customers. Click here to go to the Online Store to start shopping. Email Acceptance Hours Extended Effective January 1, 2007 email will be accepted at the Contact Us section of www.cgfns.org from 6AM to 4PM EST Monday through Friday. |
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The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools and its division, the International Commission on Healthcare Professions (ICHP) has released the 2007 Version of its downloadable program handbooks and printed program handbooks and applications will be available in March. Following the release of the 2007 handbooks and applications, all downloadable and printed applications thereafter submitted to CGFNS/ICHP in 2007 will be required to be the 2007 version.