Consular Processing for International Nurses

Carl, can you tell us a little bit about the consular process?

Most nurses go through the consular processing. That means that they're located in a foreign country and they have an employer in the United States, who files a petition on their behalf. We call it a form I-140. Once a petition gets approved, and if their date is current, which means they're at the beginning, they're at the front of the line for green cards, because in some categories, there's a long wait.

When they get to the front of the line. Their I-140 has been approved, it goes to a place called the National Visa Center, where the nurse has to show different types of paperwork and then they scheduled the nurse for an interview at the US Embassy. That's the consular processing the US Embassy and consular.

I was working for the immigration service, they invited me in and I got to sit around and chat with them. They call it consular processing and they make sure that you're admissible, which means you're not a criminal, you're not a terrorist, you haven't committed immigration fraud. And then of course, that you have this job that sponsored you to come into the United States, they approved the green card application and you have 180 days to get on a plane and fly to the United States. Only when you actually arrived in the US and are admitted in the airport and you are considered a green card holder.

Okay, so that that gives us a really good clarification on the consulate being green card process and as Carl said, most international nurses will come through that route.

But there is another another route that we can be talking about and that is the adjustment of status process. There is also a download on the Connetics USA international nurses agency website that you can get for free. It's free information about the consular green card process and and and that is available for all nurses who are coming on the consular Green Card