“Unfair Denial of CGFNS VisaScreen Certificate for June 2006 Passers”
“Unfair Denial of CGFNS VisaScreen Certificate for June 2006 Passers”
Philippines ranked number one in the statistics of CGFNS found on their main website as the highest number of applicants for almost their entire services for the past three consecutive years. It outnumbered India, China, Kenya and three other countries. It is reasonable indeed that CGFNS’ eyes are focused on us especially Filipino nurses.
Ever since the scandal of cheating last year’s June Nursing exam, they have been investigating apart from the investigations of local authorities. And now they already decided to compromise the chance of having a VisaScreen Certificate for the June 2006 nursing passers. It is quite bizarre that it seems for the first time in 30 years of CGFNS, it has made a special criterion and requirement for a specific batch of nurses in a specific country. The question is, is it fair enough?
According to the CGFNS/ICHP VisaScreen Handbook, VisaScreen was created in response to Section 343 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996 which requires specific healthcare professionals born outside of the U.S. to successfully complete a screening program before they can receive either a permanent or temporary occupational visa including Trade NAFTA status.
The requirements for screening includes:
• an assessment of an applicant’s education to ensure that it is comparable to that of a U.S. graduate in the same profession
• verification that all professional healthcare licenses that the applicant ever held are valid and unencumbered
• English language proficiency
• for registered nurses, verification that the nurse has passed either the CGFNS Qualifying Examination, the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN® examination), or its predecessor the State Board Test Pool Examination (SBTPE)
But now it has a new added requirement for June 2006 passers alone stated in their February 14 publication, “Therefore, CGFNS is unable to certify that the licensure (of June 2006 passers) is comparable to a U.S. license... applicable U.S. immigration law will not permit CGFNS to issue the VisaScreen Certificate... to those nurses who obtained Philippine licensure on the basis of passing the June 2006 nursing licensure examination... to overcome this bar and qualify for a VisaScreen Certificate by taking the equivalent of Tests 3 and 5 on a future licensing examination.” (emphasis mine throughout)
How can this ever be? It is clear in their handbook and in Section 343 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996 that what is being compared to that of a US graduate is the applicants’ education not the license!
Their job in screening is to validate and verify only that the license(s) whether past or current is valid, active and unencumbered not comparing it to a US license.
What are being compared to that of a US graduate are the applicants nursing education either it is has the same program, curriculum, language used, and training. Since nursing education is the most basic assessment criterion for competence.
Additionally they stated, “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.”
Passing the CGFNS qualifying exam or the NCLEX as a requirement of VisaScreen is obviously a very accurate assessment of competence aside from passing the Local Nursing Licensure Exam!
We will not pass CGFNS or NCLEX if we are incompetent as a June 2006 passer as what you are always branding us!
CGFNS is crossing borders and is belittling the decision of the Philippine Supreme court. That issue was already resolved but what you are doing now is uncovering the nightmares of the already traumatized June 2006 nurses.
Philippines has its own laws, the Professional Regulation Commission and Court of Appeals as well as Supreme court already cleared the June 2006 nurses as active and competent nurses. Maybe you should respect it!
Just stick to your original rules and laws and please don’t discriminate anyone especially our batch. CGFNS – please give us a peace of mind!
by GBS , Iriga City
sent by email
Philippines ranked number one in the statistics of CGFNS found on their main website as the highest number of applicants for almost their entire services for the past three consecutive years. It outnumbered India, China, Kenya and three other countries. It is reasonable indeed that CGFNS’ eyes are focused on us especially Filipino nurses.
Ever since the scandal of cheating last year’s June Nursing exam, they have been investigating apart from the investigations of local authorities. And now they already decided to compromise the chance of having a VisaScreen Certificate for the June 2006 nursing passers. It is quite bizarre that it seems for the first time in 30 years of CGFNS, it has made a special criterion and requirement for a specific batch of nurses in a specific country. The question is, is it fair enough?
According to the CGFNS/ICHP VisaScreen Handbook, VisaScreen was created in response to Section 343 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996 which requires specific healthcare professionals born outside of the U.S. to successfully complete a screening program before they can receive either a permanent or temporary occupational visa including Trade NAFTA status.
The requirements for screening includes:
• an assessment of an applicant’s education to ensure that it is comparable to that of a U.S. graduate in the same profession
• verification that all professional healthcare licenses that the applicant ever held are valid and unencumbered
• English language proficiency
• for registered nurses, verification that the nurse has passed either the CGFNS Qualifying Examination, the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN® examination), or its predecessor the State Board Test Pool Examination (SBTPE)
But now it has a new added requirement for June 2006 passers alone stated in their February 14 publication, “Therefore, CGFNS is unable to certify that the licensure (of June 2006 passers) is comparable to a U.S. license... applicable U.S. immigration law will not permit CGFNS to issue the VisaScreen Certificate... to those nurses who obtained Philippine licensure on the basis of passing the June 2006 nursing licensure examination... to overcome this bar and qualify for a VisaScreen Certificate by taking the equivalent of Tests 3 and 5 on a future licensing examination.” (emphasis mine throughout)
How can this ever be? It is clear in their handbook and in Section 343 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996 that what is being compared to that of a US graduate is the applicants’ education not the license!
Their job in screening is to validate and verify only that the license(s) whether past or current is valid, active and unencumbered not comparing it to a US license.
What are being compared to that of a US graduate are the applicants nursing education either it is has the same program, curriculum, language used, and training. Since nursing education is the most basic assessment criterion for competence.
Additionally they stated, “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.”
Passing the CGFNS qualifying exam or the NCLEX as a requirement of VisaScreen is obviously a very accurate assessment of competence aside from passing the Local Nursing Licensure Exam!
We will not pass CGFNS or NCLEX if we are incompetent as a June 2006 passer as what you are always branding us!
CGFNS is crossing borders and is belittling the decision of the Philippine Supreme court. That issue was already resolved but what you are doing now is uncovering the nightmares of the already traumatized June 2006 nurses.
Philippines has its own laws, the Professional Regulation Commission and Court of Appeals as well as Supreme court already cleared the June 2006 nurses as active and competent nurses. Maybe you should respect it!
Just stick to your original rules and laws and please don’t discriminate anyone especially our batch. CGFNS – please give us a peace of mind!
by GBS , Iriga City
sent by email
That's true! Philippine has its own set of laws and US has, too. Unfortunately, nurses who wants to work in the US are under their law. You can't take your own and create your own there. Take the case of the 31 voluntary board retakers. Only 6 of them passed. Does that mean anything? Nurses in the Philippines might view that as an unfair move, but the CGFNS just wanted to protect the patients in the US.
Posted by
abcd |
1:16 PM
maybe, you might want to discuss the second point too. you were so enraged that you only thought about the first point regarding the education, blah, blah... how about the second one?
btw, June 2006 passers, are you kinda worried or maybe afraid of retaking the exam? if you know it by heart, i take it's fine. I'f you're thinking about the expenses, this is an investment. if you play by the rules, you'll get it back ten times.
Posted by
abcd |
1:22 PM