Nurse Immigration to the USA News of October 2022

Hi everybody and welcome. It's Friday so it must be Connetics nursing agency in the USA  weekly show onwards and upwards. Everything that a healthcare worker needs to know about living and working in the United States. And I am your host, Tanya Freedman, CEO of Connetics USA. We help healthcare organizations all over the United States with by bringing with the nursing shortage by bringing in internationally educated nurses through direct hire. Our topic today is immigration.

And I'm joined today by our legal expert panel. I'm joined by my Hammond Neal Moore Mike, welcome. Hi, Tanya. And Anshu. Joining us. Hi, Anshu. Welcome. Good morning, everyone. Good morning, everybody. So I see that we already have some people who are putting the highs into the chat and I see the questions already starting. So we're going to dig right in and get started. I think before we get to the questions, though, please, everybody. Just a reminder, if you have passed your NCLEX or if you're interested, if you have not yet passed your NCLEX and are interested to come to the United States, please apply to conneticsusa.com/application. And our team are waiting on hand right now to see you and see how we can help you make your American dream a reality. Okay, so let's start off with introductions. Do you want to go ahead and introduce yourself?

Sure. Hi, good morning. Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Anshu. I am a partner attorney here at Musillo. I've been practicing a little bit over 10 years and I'm excited to be here today. Thank you and you and you're no stranger to the show. So welcome back. And next Mike, do you want to go introduce yourself? Sure. My name is Mike Hammond. I'm with the firm Hammond Neal Moore. And I've been practicing immigration law a tiny bit longer than into by like at least a week or two. Mike and we just love all of those papers are those your props, all those papers in your at the behind you? I went and scoured the offices to bring them in. So it looks like I'm doing work and now when I got caught. Okay, well we get a dig right in. I see the questions are coming in. Please put your question please put into your chat, your name and where you're watching from. We love to see everybody watching all over the world. We have recently hit I think 2 million views on onwards and upwards. So many, many nurses and healthcare workers all around the world watching onwards and upwards these days. So tag your friends so they can join in and get free information. Knowledge is power.

And this is a medium for healthcare workers all around the world to empower yourselves with knowledge today about immigration. Okay, so let's dig in. So I see we have Chico saying hi, I'm in welcome Chico. We have my son who says hi Connetics This is like Doma. I go back lab reaching out from chat in Central Africa, French speaking country. I followed you for a while and even applied on US court from the Philippines. Appreciate your work. Hope this works for me. Okay, great. Well, welcome. Glad, and we will certainly do our best to help you. I seen Amita is watching Eileen, who's our regular from Jamaica. Welcome Eileen Bennish from Pakistan, and Catherine from Brazil. And he has a question for the panel. Hi, I'm NTBI gears. I'm D queued on October 21. And I'm still waiting for ID in Abu Dhabi. How many however, many of the Filipino nationals are called for interview after three months of DQ. So when can we expect the ID and who can expedite my case? And his question is actually very common these days where, you know, it might feel like maybe some of your batchmates or teammates or other people going through the process seem to be getting they're constantly interviews. And, Mike, do you want to comment on any question?

Sure. Yeah, a couple things. First of all, most, if not all, are in cases are being requested for expedite just as a normal matter, of course, and almost all of them are being granted. And when everybody's been granted an expedite, the practical effect of that is nobody is expedited. The processing times for getting an interview do vary greatly based upon the consulate you're at. But if you're at Abu Dhabi, and it's been three months, that's a little long for what I would consider it Abu Dhabi, and I would think that you're Case Manager or attorney you're assigned to we'll reach out to the conflict to see if they can figure out why you're not been put in the queue for an interview yet Abu Dhabi tends to be fairly fast.

Okay, so any we can understand your frustration, your worry, your concern, this process is complicated. It's frustrating. And we know that it can create a lot of anxiety just to reassure all nurses who are going through Connetics USA and I know other reputable companies do this as well. Obviously, we have the expedite process. All the immigration lawyers that we work with, like Anshu, or Mike will also put in and queries to, to try and find out what has happened with your case. And we also work through government affairs at all the various hospitals that we work with, and Government Affairs will reach out to the local congressman, to try and get flagged for cases and try and make sure that we get them seem to work through the AI HR. So there are a lot of mediums is a lot of hard work behind the scenes, any or anyone else who's experiencing this backlog or frustration. So please try not to panic, and we are doing our best to help. And we know is saying hi, and we have a question here sent to us from Anna. Anna is saying I see the visa bulletin came out. Can you please explain the latest visa bulletin? And do we need to worry about retrogression and you.

So the November Visa Bulletin did come out. It essentially remained the same as October Visa Bulletin. You know, unfortunately for India, EB two, they did see some retrogression just due to high demand nothing new there. But the good news for a worldwide the rest of the world and Philippines EB three is that it remains current. And we expect that these categories in the meantime for the foreseeable future. Another bit of good news is that the State Department just released their annual allotment of employment based green cards and instead of the usual 140,000 that we are allotted. It looks like it looks like we'll have at least about 200,000 visas. So that's good news, which is one of the reasons why we don't expect retrogression at least for worldwide and Philippines EB three. Okay. And you good news. Yes. Che good news. Yeah, hot off the press and onwards and upwards. So if you are even thinking about coming to the United States and have not started the process, as and she says there is good news right now, so please make sure to start on your NCLEX application. And also check out our success path on the kinetics USA website. Many nurses don't know where to start on the process. The first step is your NCLEX IPASS blueprint, then you're going to prepare for the interview. At Step three is the visa framework.

That's the step that we talking about today. On today's show, if you're coming on the TN Visa, or the green card, step four, licensing and credentialing, five, get ready gameplan six arrival seek sequence, and seven, enjoy and prosper, which is what we want for everybody who is watching today. Okay, let's move on to a question, how long does the immigration process take if you already passed your NCLEX? Mike? Well, it depends upon the facility you're gonna go to. Now, as I understand, Anton, you can confirm this facilities that Connetics work with already have prevailing wages in place. Is that correct, Tanya? Yes, correct. Okay. And so that means, if you're working with an agency like Tanya's who already has facilities lined up with prevailing wages in place, you're saving about seven months, maybe eight months off of the process that normally someone would go to, if you're being recruited to a facility that does not have a prevailing wage in place. So we start with the fact that Connetics candidates are already seven to eight months ahead of the game, you've now passed your NCLEX exam. As I understand it, also all of Connetics cases are done under premium processing, means instead of a process that's taking 10 months or so at an Iowan 40 Maybe 12 They're taking about three weeks. So the USCIS is part of this process from beginning to end is less than two months for probably 95% of the candidates.

Okay, good. I think Thank you, Mike. So that's really helpful for Andi. And we have a question here from Amaya. And this is actually not an immigration question. But I'm going to take this question if anybody has a similar situation. Amaya says as a new grad without experience, is it possible to get an EB three visa? And the answer to that 1am? And some more good news is yes, we have employers all over the United States, some require experience, but some don't. So please go ahead and apply to Connetics USA, and our team will be on hand to set up an interview for you at one of the employers that do not require experience. And you we have a question here from Louis, I'm thinking of coming to the United States to study on a student visa, can you explain what an f1 is, and an OET? Sure. So an f1 is a student visa that is allows you to come to the United States and study in a degree seeking program, the process is pretty straightforward, you just need to reach out to Well, first you need to find the program that you're interested in, and then apply to the school and the school was an issue you what's called an I 20. And then with that I 20, along with a few additional documentation, you will then make an appointment with the US Embassy for an f1 visa, you will then come to the US on the f1 visa, you will go to your school, pursue your program. And then once you finish your program, the every school that's accredited, will allow what the USCIS allows for f1 students once they finish their program to engage in what's called OET optional practical training.

And that's the ability to be able to work in your field after you graduate. And the good news there is if you are, you know seeking to permanently you know, reside in the US, what I tend to see is a lot of students will get on their OET, and then they will find an employer that's willing to sponsor them for a green card. And so that's kind of the pathway that a lot of students take is that they come here they study, they get their degree, and then they pursue EBT. And while they're pursuing their own EBT and working, then the sponsor can then file their green card. And you know, and then move forward from there. Okay, thank you for clarifying that. And you and I committed suicide, we have many students that we've got green cards for Mike, do you want something to add something to that going back to the visa bulletin that was put up earlier, if you are a individual from India or China, the path of coming as a student is available to you. And the path of being getting OET is available too. But the path of staying while waiting for Green Card sponsorship is not available to you, because the line is too long. So the fact that your hospital that you work for on your OET sponsors you for a green card, all they can sponsor you for is the first stage which is referred to as the I-140. And then you would have to go home and wait in the queue. And it's obviously so long that it would be I find it would be very unlikely that anyone do that. So that path works great for any countries other than India and China.

Okay, so we actually have a question for thank you for raising that mic, because we have a question here from a volunteer who actually has that exact question. So I'm going to add that one in here. Avanti says I'm an Indian who got her BSN from the US and currently on OET. I have my US nursing license. So I find his question is, is the USCIS accepting h1 and Green Card filings for Indian nurses? So Mike, you've answered the question about the green card but what about an h1 for a nurse lack of anti? Yeah, generally, the positions of a registered nurse are not h1 B level positions to get an h1 B, not only must you have a BSN but also the position must require a BSN as the standard in the in the state you're in the standard in the US the standard at that specific hospital. So there are no states in the US any longer that require a BSN for licensure. It's certainly not the industry standard. There are a few limited hospitals where they can demonstrate that a BSN is their standard and they can sponsor you for an h1 but there's not very many. Certain other higher level nurses can get an h1 like a certain specialty like a nurse practitioner. Nurse ng cater, they generally have master's degrees or higher advanced degrees, but they can. But generally there's not an option. Once you've got done your OET, so most individuals would be looking at either Canada or Australia or back home or somewhere in Europe or someplace else. That is more immigration friendly, regardless of nationality.

Okay, so there you have it. I'm sorry that it's not great news there, but at least you know where you stand. And then for anybody else who's in a similar situation to advantage. Okay, and ensure we have a question here from Godwin is saying, I received an email from the US Embassy giving me a list of documents that I should bring with me on the day of the interview. I don't have two items yet from the list. The original updated job offer from the employer and the employment contract from the employer is the same. These are the exact those are the exact words I'm not sure if the employment letter would supply support both and you can you clarify for nurses going to the embassy what they need in order to be able to comply with the requirements. Sure. So when we saw when you went through the NVC process, you had to have submitted documentation that the NVC requires in order to allow you to be documentarian qualified. Those documents will now in the original form, you should carry those with you to the embassy. So those documents include like your passport, your marriage certificate, birth certificate, police clearances, if you have any, an offer letter, you will also need to get a medical exam. So those are the kinds of documents that you will need to take with you to the embassy. And if in Godwin's situation, I you know, I think you should try to get the contract and try to get the letter. If you don't feel like you can get the originals in time, then at least ask for a scanned copy from your sponsors so that at least you have something in hand.

And obviously, you know, if the officer that's interviewing you has an issue with the documentation that you have they you know, they can issue a two to one G at which point you can supply that documentation at a later time. Okay, so thank you for that and Anshu best wishes for the consular interview. I'm not sure if you are a Connetics nurse or not. But if you are a Connetics, we'll be working with the employer and the lawyers to make sure that you have the correct documentation. And I would encourage everybody to also watch, we have done a full show on the consular process. You can see this on our website on our YouTube channel and our social media. And there is also a list of documents you can download in the handbook the guidebook on what documents you need to take to the consular interview. Okay, I'm going to move now to the chat. So we have the new saying, Hi, Rochelle is tagging a friend. Thank you for tagging a friend, Rochelle. This is what onwards and upwards is all about paying it forward. And she goes from Nigeria, Hedy Perez is saying, Good morning, how can my sister get her license from California? What without social security? Mike, I know, this is not an immigration folks on this one. Yeah, as far as I know, there's not a way to get a license without a social security number.

So there's a lot of ways that individuals actually ultimately get licensed in California. Some will enter as soon as they've obtained their immigrant visa or their green card, apply for the license, apply for the social security number once they enter, and then apply for the license. And then depending on how long it's taking, there's been periods of time where it's been taking as much as six months, they may even travel home, and go back home and continue working in your current job. You've already made an entry you already a green card holder, and then come back when the license is issued. There are other individuals who it makes more sense to get licensed in another state, and then endorse over or transfer that license depending on what state you're going to. But I do not believe there's a way to do California licensure without a social security number. Yeah, correct. So Mike, my understanding is the same. You do need social security. But as Mike said, there are ways to navigate this and PDP Rs. So tell your sister not to worry, because, you know, there are ways that we work around the situation. California unfortunately is more difficult for international nurses to get the endorsement through but we do have ways to it's a little bit of a dance around that. And Neil is saying already accepted an offer from a hospital in August but till now Connetics USA is not five months. I-140 How long will it take? Oh, goodness and yell I'm really sorry to hear that. We try very hard. And you know, we're not perfect, but I'm not sure in your specific situation. And I will definitely have our team look into that and find out what the delay is because we want to get you filed as quickly as possible. So thank you for letting us know and we will make sure to address that situation. And salad is a gymnasium nurse resident currently in Qatar and male from the pole Rochelle from Philippines. May Angeline. from Philippines. Catherine has a question and shoe is there anything happening to NVC, Texas, it's been three months waiting to be at DQ. This is something that we are seeing at the moment some delays from the Texas service center.

Yes, so we've actually seen a lot of improvement is particularly out of the Texas service center. I know, a couple of months ago, there was definitely a delay, we've seen an improvement. I would say if your case has not shift shipped from the service center from the Texas service center to the NVC within about 60 to 70 days that you should reach out to your attorney who can actually reach out to the service center to see exactly what it is that's going on. Particularly if you have filed that case premium processing, there's a way for us to reach out to the premium processing unit specifically to see exactly what it is, what the holdup is and why the case hasn't been shipped to the NVC. Okay. And Catherine, we feel your pain. There was a small number of nurses that we had at Connetics as well, that had delays at the beginning part of this year with the Texas service center, we are seeing progress. So that is the good news. There seems to be a lot of efforts to get this, this hiccup, this delay rectified. And in addition to what Andrew just mentioned, we also from Connetics are working with a lot of the government affairs departments at the various hospitals, where nurses are at the service center to flag these cases and get them moving in the process. So Catherine, hopefully it won't be too long. But we understand your frustration. We are equally as frustrated about this that recent hiccup. May Angeline is asking is this live also applicable for medical technologists May? Yes, definitely. In fact, we have a show coming up in a few weeks dedicated to medical technologist. So please watch out for that. Mike, do you want to explain to me Angeline or any medical technologist the process that a med tech can come to the United States on from an immigration perspective?

Sure, there's essentially three routes that a med tech could take. Two of them involve an h1 B, one involves a green card. So the two routes to take for an h1 B worker is whether or not they're going to what's referred to as a cap exempt employer or not. There's only a certain number of H ones given out per year. They're done through a lottery. The lottery starts in January, February, we do filings in February, and then at the end of March, we find out whether you were chosen in the lottery. And then there's a 90 day window to file and then you can come in October 1, there's 85,000 spots. Last year, there were 600, almost 600,000 filings. Now, that doesn't really mean 600,000 People, they actually chose 125,000, or a little more than 125,000 for the 85,000 spots, because they know there's a lot of duplication of people. But the bottom line is your odds of being chosen in the lottery are not that great. But that is certainly one route and a lot of facilities will put med techs in the lottery for the purposes of hoping that they are chosen, and then file and then that's the fastest way to get here. The to the US. If however your hospital that's going to hire you is what's referred to as a cap exempt hospital. And those are hospitals that are nonprofits affiliated with universities. So typically a university hospital and there's not a lot of them, but there are some there's you know, probably associate with most major universities, there is a nonprofit affiliated hospital.

Those types of hospitals are exempt from that h1 B lottery. So if you happen to be hired by one of those hospitals, then instead of waiting till January and February to file your h1 Lottery case and hoping you get lucky and in April, you are can go ahead and file now and you could theoretically be here in a few months. And the third route is a green card and a lot of facilities particularly for profit facilities who don't want the part fresher in the stress and the h1 Lottery, which is certainly an unsure process, they will simply start doing green card processing, like they might would with an RN overseas. But for a med tech, even though they have the h one option, unfortunately, RNs and are treated special in the green card process, and that they are exempt from what's called a labor test. med techs have to go through a labor test. And that labor test is required by the Department of Labor before you ever file with immigration. And the hospital has to demonstrate or the lab that there is a shortage of US workers, and med tech workers in that particular geographical area. So they have to go through a whole series of recruitment. Bottom line is, depending upon the facility, that extra time could be as short as maybe six, seven months extra from what an RN would go through to maybe as long as about 16 or 18 months. So it's significantly longer for a med tech to come through the green card process. But it certainly is possible. And you know, over the last several years, as the number of h1 filings have gone up, I've seen an increase in a lot of my clients looking to go the Green Card route for med techs, but bottom line, there are ways to get here as a med tech, it a lot of it just depends on the hiring facility that you're going to and also some of your personal choices.

Okay, thank you, Mike. That's very helpful. And we really hope that may Angeline, that clarifies your question. As I said, please keep watching onwards and upwards. We have a show coming up that's dedicated to med techs, we've seen a very big increase of facilities that are now looking for international looking internationally for med medical technologists. So we're really excited to be able to present lots of opportunities to med techs who are interested. Marco is from Abu Dhabi. James has a question and you Good day, once I work in us, when is the best time to start petitioning my parents. So you can only petition your parents once you are a US citizen. So you can apply for citizenship once you've been here. As a legal permanent resident in the US for five years. There's a couple other criteria you have met, such as, you know, having a continuous President presence here in the US. And also just making sure that like there's no kind of like criminal background issue. And then once you become and then you would file for citizenship. Once you become a citizen, it takes about six to 12, six to 12 months for common citizen after that five year mark, and then you can apply for your parents.

Okay, so James, I'm not sure we where you are in the process that hopefully you'll be a citizen soon. And then can apply for your parents, which really is one of the greatest gifts and just to share with everyone. I think many people know I was an immigrant. I came from South Africa 22 years ago, this year was 22 years ago, and I just applied for my mom from South Africa. So it really is a great thing when you're able to do that for your parent. Okay, Cassie, Mia is from Tanzania from Qatar. Justyna has a question, Mike. Hi, Tanya, please. Why are they no appointments available for interview in most US embassies since October? The scheduling system keeps saying no available dates seems to be affecting everyone. Mike, do you agree with that situation? Or what is your assessment on the appointment times? We have not seen that across the board. We believe that there still are appointments that they are issuing. The fact that you don't have an appointment simply means someone else has already they've already filled their slots with appointments. So it's just a matter of waiting until there is an appointment available. But we have not seen any complete shutdown of appointments in October, at least not from what I've seen.

Anshu can you comment on that? Have you seen anything different to what? No, we haven't really seen anything different either. I know what the Self Scheduling it's they're trying to roll this out. They the Department of State are trying to roll this out to I know it's in Manila. It's also now in London. It's no Dhabi. And so, you know, our advice always is just keep checking back. I know nurses that check every single day, every single hour because you know there was a hiring freeze with the Department of State for a while, which that is now you know curtailing and because they're New, More officers out in the field. There are more appointments that are opening up. And so and then there's always cancellations. Right. So like, I think the best thing to do is just to keep checking back every day, but I agree with Mike that that's generally what we're seeing as well. Yeah. And I would agree with that, Justin. So sometimes, you know, when you enter specific location, you might get an impression about how things are working from an immigration perspective. That's why we're so grateful to the expert legal panel to come on onwards and upwards once a month, and share their observations because it does change all the time. We know that it's frustrating but as Andrew and Mike have said, we are seeing interviews being scheduled it just sometimes can take some time.

So just don't try not to be too frustrated with it. Have patience and it will definitely happen.. Simon's from Pakistan I've done my Bachelors of Science in Nursing from the Agha Khan University with three years of extensive experience as an RN have done my IELTS need assistance regarding job in the US and immigration process. So Sana the first step, as we said, is to do your NCLEX exam. So it's great that you've got your, your English taken care of. But you need to pass your NCLEX in order to be sponsored as an RN, from an immigration perspective. So please check out the success path on Connetics USA website. And that will take you through the steps step by step of how the process work, so it can feel very confusing. Okay, Dennis side saying, Hi. James is tagging a friend, Alexis is asking please tell us briefly name hospitals, I'm under Connetics that will do interviews this month. Alexis, please apply online. Our team are waiting to speak to you right now as we as you apply. We have many hospitals all over the United States. So that is the beauty of direct hire. If you are looking for a specific state, our team will be able to tell you when you know we have hospitals interviewing for that specific state. If you have a sister in California, a brother in Texas, a friend in Florida, a you've always wanted to go work in New York City, whatever it is, or wherever you want to go, we'll be able to help you with that. And Danielle's tagging friends. Thank you for tagging friends, everybody. Alexis has a question about Baylor Scott and White. He is one of our premium employees.

So we do have interviews ongoing. Okay, so I'm just gonna be some questions here. Everybody are not immigration questions. So I will try to get to those. But I want to try and pose the immigration questions to the panel. Okay, Miss Sunga has a question about the NCLEX. The CP test can be used for any work interview, and I'm not sure what CP test is. I'm sure Mike, do you know what the CPE taste is? I'm not sure what masanga is referring to? I do not so I don't either. Yeah, I'm so sorry. masanga. I'm not sure what you are referring to. But in order to pass the NCLEX please check out our shows on the NCLEX to get information on that. And he has a follow up question. I have sent an email to ombudsman and instructed them by them that I have filled 7001 form. Could you please explain whether it will help my backlog? Mike? Honestly, I have no clue what a 7001 form is. And you know, sorry, I've never heard of that form. Okay, so anyway, I know that you're trying all avenues to get your case to the next step. Please know from a Connetics USA side, we are doing the same and it will happen. And Nash is saying why expedite should be requested by applicant, not by Connetics or the hospital I got rejected immediately. Next day after I requested my friend got applied by Connetics. While mild mindset they don't make this is a common question from Nash. How come some candidates when they apply for an expedite get it and some don't? Is there a reason for that? Or is it random?

I don't believe there's any reason whatsoever. We're doing most of the expedite requests ourselves, as opposed to asking candidates to do them. But I honestly don't think that makes any difference. But ultimately we, you know, simply ask again. So but to be honest, I'm not sure we're seeing much of a difference in getting an interview, whether you're expedited or not. As I mentioned earlier, the effect of being expedited if everybody's expedited is there is no effect I think it makes us all feel better. But I'm not sure there's much of a practical advantage. I honestly believe that six months from now, no one's going to ask for expedited way. Why do you say that might?

Because I think that from the consulates perspective, they don't like expediting, you're being told that, hey, my case is more important than someone else's case, who may be in line in front of me. And we can all this all started as a result of COVID, and things like that. But that's not the way the consulates ultimately want to treat people. And so I think that as they've gotten more fully staffed and back up to speed, and they are, from their perspective, doing a tremendously wonderful job, and I think some of us would probably agree with that, at getting things back up to speed with the huge backlogs that they've had, and the staffing issues that they and everybody else are having. And so to put that extra pressure on them, of saying, hey, we need to pick and choose this person is more important than this person who may have been in line longer, it's, it's difficult from a philosophical perspective of what the Department of State is wanting to try to do. So I perceive it's going to go away. And then we're gonna go back to what truly worthy expedite the kid who's aging out and wasn't going to be protected under child status, or someone who comes in needs an emergency B visa, because somebody's sick back home, those kinds of things that are true humanitarian expedite, as opposed to just I want to get there faster, and I'm more important than someone else.

Okay, thank you for sharing. And Mike and Nash. As I said, before, we know that this is frustrating, but I think we've said this many times on onwards and upwards, there really is no specific pattern. I know, when you're sitting at home in your home country, it's so frustrating, and then you hear somebody else got it, and you're like, why not me? Why did I not get it? And is there something I'm doing wrong? That, you know, as you can hear from the expert panel, that is not the case, it really is just a symptom of the pandemic, the backlog. And hopefully, as Mike said that that whole system is actually going to change in the coming weeks and months. I know we have a lot of questions in the chat. So if I leave out your question, please forgive me, everybody. I'm trying to make sure that we ask questions that haven't been asked me if you're asking a question similar to something that we have already answered. I'm going to move on because I'm looking at the clock and the clock is ticking. And I want to make sure we get through as many questions as we can from people around the world. And so Melanes has a question, my friend wasn't able to declare her relatives for DS 260 I think it's 260. There's not 160 She was then given a tourist visa for 10 years, she hasn't used it, will that possibly affect your application produce 260? Anshu? Huh? Um, I'm not really not sure.

Yeah. Um, so she Okay, so she filled out a DS 260, or her relatives filled out a DS 260 meaning her dependents? Yeah, I think. I think maybe the question I'm not 100% Sure, is that she had some previous visa and is worried and didn't use it, and then is worried maybe about her current green card process? I think that's what the question is, and that's okay, if you can have a tourist visa in your passport, whether or not you've ever used it, it shouldn't affect your green card processing. As long as you are as long as if the green card is with NVC, as long as you're channeling through the process. If the question is, you know, hey, I want to travel while green card is processing, then that may be problematic. But if you just have a green if you just have a V one v two visa in your passport and you're going through the green card process, that shouldn't be an issue. It's only when you have to travel, that that would be an issue. Okay, thank you, Andrew. So I'm not sure Milan is but I hope that we have and Camille is saying how long does it normally take to receive document qualified from the NVC? How do we know the normal time for our specific consonant? We'll be making an interview my case considered is Mexico City, Mike. Lots of questions today about DQ and getting the consulate interview.

Yeah, and you can fix my answer if it's wrong. But the last I checked. Chris told me, Chris is Andrews boss and he told me all the hard questions I could just push to into your methodology. Yeah. But as I understand it, it's a taken about three to four months to get DQ. In most cases, Mexico City, there was just a report recently about that they were backlogged over a year. In interviews, I'm assuming that that data, combined all types of interviews, family interviews, employment based, etc. I don't personally have anyone that I'm aware of who's gone through Mexico City as an RN recently. So I do not know whether the RN process, you know, the expedite for RNs, as a health care worker is faster than a year, but I would assume so. And you do you have anyone that's gone to Mexico City recently? No, I have not. Let's see, Mike, you got a critique from Andrew, and you seem to have done okay. Yeah.

But I do, I would like to add one thing, and it's not necessarily what anything that Mike has said, but, um, you know, I know a lot of people I know a lot of you are seeing issues with, you know, even, you know, with the case being shipped from the USCIS to NVC, or getting the feeble issued or getting DQ or getting the interview. One of the other things that we are seeing in our office is just dealing with the SIAC portal, which is also causing some delays in the SIAC portal is basically the portal that accepts the GI bill payment, it allows us to upload the documents, the civil documents, and, and we are seeing that there are delays in that. And, you know, like, like in our office, individuals would pay the fee bill, and then it would show that it's in process, and then weeks later, it's still in process, and then it gets rejected. And another thing that we're seeing is that, you know, an individual submits their DS 260. It gets accepted. And then weeks or months later, they get a letter that saying that a deficiency notice from the NVC saying that the DSU CC was never submitted. And so we started compiling all of these issues in our office, and we actually sent the Department of State just a memo on this because it is this part of it is also causing a delay, and which kind of affects everything else in the way. So I wanted to mention that as well.

Yeah, thank you for adding that entry, because that is something that we're seeing as well, across the board where there are some delays and some, you know, anomalies. Like we have a question here from Jeremy, how long does the MPC usually take to process the febrile I've been waiting and waiting. So lots of questions like Jomi, where we would typically see a very different timeframe. And they are very unusual delays that we're seeing right now. But I do want to make sure everyone understands that, like the Department of State is aware of this. They are working with us on this, we've also reached out to Ala, which is the American Immigration Lawyers Association, they have liaisons that also work at the Department of State. So we're trying to, and also the AI HR, which is an organization that also works with the Department of State on these issues. So we're trying to work through different channels to address all these issues. Because, you know, like, obviously, they're causing delays, and they seem to be just technical delays, you know, so, so I did want to mention that.

Yeah, no, thank you for mentioning that. Because, you know, Canadians are also members of the EHR. And, and in addition to that, we also as I mentioned earlier, we work with a lot of government affairs departments at the various healthcare facilities as well. So if you are experiencing one of these, I would say kind of more unusual delays, which we'll be seeing currently is a lot of efforts in the United States to make sure that these are rectified and working through lots of channels here to try and solve this problem. Okay, Kyla has a question. Hi, my I-140. has been approved. Our this is some of the thing. How long would it take me to get an interview date? My priority date is September 6 2022. So congrats Kayla on getting your I-140. Approved, Mike how long? In a in a perfect world. How long would it take Kayla to get her interview date?

I think the biggest factors Where's Hannah living at? Because we're still seeing faster interviews and posts that are not as heavily trafficked as Manila. You know, I'm still telling most people that to get through the MVC and to get through an interview stage out of Manila, we're not quite at a year but we might be in the Navy. hood. But you could take three or four months off of that in quite a few of the other consulates. We've also seen a tremendous shifting. First of all, we've seen major progress out of Manila and getting caught up. We've also seen some major changes and other conflicts. Whereas four months ago, London was extremely backed up. And with non immigrant visa interviews, as well as immigrant visa interviews, and now they seem to be we just don't want to respond within just a couple of weeks. So they are making progress. Unfortunately, for you, as a consumer who's using this process is very frustrating because it's inconsistent. And what the answer was four months ago is not the answer today, and will honestly probably not be the answer two months from now. But I would probably plan on a little under a year as an overall process right now.

Okay, so Kayleigh, we hope to see you in the United States in under a year very exciting. And I must say, that's what I also love about getting the legal experts on once a month because it really gives our viewers up to date information on what we're seeing, as Mike said, it's changing all the time. The pandemic obviously created a lot of disruption. And it really is, is in uncharted territories right now. So, and having that up to date information about what we're seeing at the various consulates and the delays in the process, I think, hopefully can allay some fears or some anxiety for many for many healthcare workers. And we have a question that I-140, which was the 1-140, which was filed through premium processing by my new Petitioner was approved a month ago, after I received a notice from the USCIS. I received my old approval notice from my previous petitioner, can you please explain the process of how to submit my old priority notice to recapture my old PD, my new file has not moved from USCIS to NVC. Now can a PDB be captured at the NVC stage Anshu? Well, honestly, the reCAPTCHA. The priority date should have really been done at the USCIS. Not at the NVC, it because usually if the case reaches the NVC, the only way to recapture that priority date usually is to have it sent back to USCIS, which then delays the case even more. So you know, my suggestion at this point is for the individual to reach out to the attorney to see what there's what they would pursue.

Yeah. Okay. So for anybody who does have a previous priority date, just to know that that can be recaptured at the when we fall in I-140. Okay, so I'm just looking here in the chat. Joan Martinez has a question. Does Connetics offer a transition program for nurses who have no bedside experience or have a long gap or no recent experience? If so, how does an applicant go about availing of this? So Joe? This is a good question. It's not really an immigration question, but I think important to answer. So all Connetics employers have what we call transitional clinical modules, which are modules that you will do before you come to the United States. And then we have a Clinical Nurse Education Department that will work with the facility and create additional bridge training to help you if you don't have recent bedside experience, and help you with that transition. James is asking, Is it allowed to take part time work for green card holders? Mike?

Absolutely. So you've got two things you want to think about? You've got from an immigration perspective, is it's perfectly fine to work a separate part time job, when you have a green card, you also have to think about your employer is Have you signed a contract where they are saying that you cannot work part time with maybe a competitor? Depending upon the job you're in? Or do they have any restrictions on you at all? Maybe they don't. But do you want to look at both of those situations, not only what you can do legally, which of course is fine, but also what you can do

contract? Yeah, so that's really good advice, Mike. And finding out, you know, understanding of from an immigration perspective is can be very different from an employment perspective, and it is dependent on the employer. So, James, that is something to figure out with your employer when you are in the United States. We've got lots of questions here about NVC and feeble and Lou has a question I recently lost my green card I've already filed for the I90 And did the biometrics and just waiting for re issuance. Can I go out of the US and come back? I entered the US last May and you What would you suggest? Um, yes, I believe he can travel using his receipt notice.

Okay. Thank you Right. Okay. Okay, so am Rochelle is asking, Is it okay to apply in your good office, even if I will just start in my application to get my ATT, my eligibility for ATT, to take the NCLEX exam registered nurse here in the Philippines with more than 10 years of experience, Rochelle? Yes, you can definitely apply. We do have some employers that will not interview if you have not yet passed your NCLEX. But we do have some employers that will consider you for interview. Of course, we cannot file for your EB three green card until you pass the NCLEX. So And yes, you can definitely apply. And Evans is asking Can an overseas nurse apply for work in a different state other than the state where she holds the license? Mike? Yeah, absolutely. The requirements for an I-140 EB three green card is in NCLEX passage, it does not require a license in the state that you're going to work. Now, obviously, to work there, you have to have a license. And so you're going to have to coordinate how to move your license from whatever license state it's in now, to the state you're going to work, but it does not impede the immigration process whatsoever.

Thank you, Mike. So that is a good question. Very confusing. On the licensing side. Please also keep watching. We have a show coming up on licensed endorsements. Obviously, there are some states where nurses cannot even apply to take the encase because they require Social Security. And because you don't have a green card, you won't have a social security. So the license endorsement process can be tricky. But we do have a department that can help you with that. And as Mike said, it really shouldn't be a problem. Chile has a question, how do I do I need to submit a police clearance from Saudi Arabia during the embassy interview, if I am no longer in Saudi by to have a multiple entry, visa and shoot. I believe Saudi Arabia would have to go back and look at the reciprocity table which actually it breaks it down by country to let you know if you have to provide a police clearance. But I believe with Saudi Arabia, you can't obtain the police clearance unless you're actually physically there. And so in the NVC knows this, and so if you're not able to actually go back to Saudi Arabia and get the police clearance, you should just, you know, talk to the attorney or paralegal handling your case. And just make sure that they just take a printout of that of the NVC website to show that like a police clearance is not required, since they're not physically present there for a period of time.

Thank you and you. There is a question from Ernest, please. Which stage do you do visa screen needed? Hammond wait when? Mike, when? When do we need when he doesn't need the visa screen? Yeah, from a legal perspective, you need the visa screen at the time of your interview your interview at the consulate. As a practical matter, it's going to vary a little bit from facility to facility as to when they want you to maybe not have the visa screen in hand, but have the English test already passed and some are going to want that before they're going to file your own 40 others or not. But from a legal perspective, the visa screen is referred to as an entry or an admission document, which means you needed at the time of the interview and obviously at the time of entry.

Okay, so there you go, and earnest. And one thing just to mention, remember, if you are not trained in English, in order to get the visa screen, you need to have passed an English exam. On the first of August the CGFNS changed their ruling and they have now added additional English proficiency exams that you can take if you need to take the English in order to get the visa screen please check out shows again on that topic because that gives nurses more choices of the different English tests that are available and accepted by the CGFNS. And then has a question my son is 16 years old and he has cerebral palsy asthma and is also an epileptic. Is he still required to do a police record when the time comes for us to be processed and chew? I believe so. Yes. Okay. So what can you clarify who needs to get the police record?

So it's really again, so it's dependent upon? Its depending upon the country. So it's country specific. That's one but it tends to be like if you're 16 years or older, and you resided in that country for at least six months, then you typically have to get the police Okay, thank you for clarifying crystal it has a question what is form eight to four? Will it help with recapturing PD, Mike? eight to four is the one to get a duplicate copy onto is that right? It's copy. And it's also for follow to join. Yeah. So generally speaking, you probably wouldn't need to use an ISO 24. For what you're trying to do. You're saying you're trying to recapture an old priority date, I think was the question. So generally, an ISO 24 would not be used for that the EU would include a copy or the information from your prior I-140. When you do your new or your current I-140. And that's how they would recapture the party date. So the A 24 would not be used for that.

Okay, I'm just looking at the clock. And we are almost at the hour. So I'm going to try and squeeze in one or two more quick questions. And Janesville has a follow up question on the citizenship? And do we have to stay five years straight in the US to be able to apply for citizenship, and two, it doesn't have to be straight. It just has to be continuous presence. And there's a test that they use for that. So I think I mean, that's kind of a general answer. I know. But there tends to be, you know, a little bit of a mathematical computation there. So it's better to reach out to the attorney that's handling your case, and provide them with a history of your travel. And then the attorney will determine if it meets that physical presence test. Okay. Thank you for that. Okay. So last question for today. And is for Pamela, Pamela is asking Mike, can I quit my stepdaughter on the visa process? And what is required for me?

It's good to the easy answers. Yes. You're still married to her father. But there's also going to be depending upon her age, custody issues that have to be dealt with, as to what is the custody arrangement? And so from a legal, just pure immigration? Absolutely. But that's not the end of the equation, you're going to have to simply look at what are the arrangements that she permitted to exit? Does the spouse have full custody, all those kinds of things are going to have to be a part of it. So make sure you disclose that early in your case? Because it will may take a while to resolve that, that issue to make that happen. But from a legal perspective, stepchildren adopted children, etc, are considered children for purposes of immigration services. Okay, thank you, Mike. So Pamela, glad that we could answer that question. And with that said, we are at the end of the show. So thank you, everybody for joining us. Before you leave. I wanted to remind everybody for of upcoming shows. We have coming up on the 18th of October in the Lefora forum and talking about the Filipinos association in the United States and the benefits of joining the organization on the 21st we did a poll on which state nurses want to know most about in our stateside segment and North Carolina was top of the list so we will have nurses speaking about what it's like to live and work in North Carolina.

So tune in for that on the 28th we talking about supporting your spouse through the transition and very important topic if you are married. On the fourth we have our clients showcase advent health One of the prestigious employers in Florida. And on the 11th Our immigration Q&A expert panel will be back so we hope to see my connection back on the 11th on the 15th we talking about the next generation NCLEX very important topic, the NCLEX is going to be changing next year. So if you have not yet passed the NCLEX important to update yourself about those changes. And then on the 18th we have the promise show on med techs. Also don't forget Connetics college every Monday 5am pacific time so check the time in your location. We have classes on the NCLEX English PTE lots of different classes coming up from our esteemed partners. From Aspire from the from Niners swash I pass all great partners up Connetics USA to help free information to educate nurses. And last but not least the Connetics initiatives. And so reminders to everybody and we have our free English scholarship. All Connetics nurses get a free course to prepare them for the NTPs sorry for the English exam. We also have an NCLEX Scholarship, which is for selected nurses, so apply today and see if you qualify. Our referral bonus is extended till the end of November. listen to our podcast nursing in America we have a nurse, nurse aide program, watch every Friday onwards and upwards every Monday Canadians college and we also have many Allied needs. Thank you everybody for joining us, Mike and ensure you have you have a great weekend and onwards and upwards everyone. See you next week everyone. Thanks everyone. Thank you