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2006 News and Alerts Due to the age of these news items, information (including links) may be outdated. Please use the search feature at the top of the page to find more current information on the subject or to find a current link. AUGUST 11, 2006 U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will continue to require VisaScreen® There has recently been some confusion about when the USCIS will require nurses who are immigrating to the United States or seeking status change to present the CGFNS VisaScreen® certificate. In May, 2006, one office of USCIS, the Texas Service Center, announced that it planned to deny adjustment of status applications filed by foreign health care workers who did not submit with their application — at the time of filing — a copy of the CGFNS VisaScreen® certificate. Although this policy announcement caused considerable concern within the immigration community, it does not appear that the policy was ever implemented. Instead, the Texas Service Center — and USCIS — announced in early June that it was dropping its plan and abandoning the policy that it had announced in May. Today and for all of 2006, the previous USCIS policy continues and has continued to be in effect regarding adjustment of status applications by nurses and other covered health care workers. That policy is that if the VisaScreen® certificate is not included with the adjustment of status application at the time of filing, USCIS will, in the course of adjudicating the application, issue a Request for Evidence (RFE). The applicant will then have 12 weeks in which to provide the certificate. In summary, USCIS has not changed its previous policy, which is that the VisaScreen® certificate is required at the time the application for adjustment of status is adjudicated, not at the time the application is filed. Please consult with your immigration counsel. CGFNS is an immigration-neutral, nonprofit organization based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, and is an internationally recognized authority on the education, registration and licensure of nurses 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 representatives from nursing organizations, including the American Nurses Association and the National League for Nursing. For additional information about CGFNS and its services, contact: CGFNS International, 3600 Market Street, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19104-2651 USA; telephone: +1 (215) 222 8454. |
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