Special Administration of CGFNS Qualifying Exam for TN Nurses
Posted Mar 05, 2004

The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) has recently announced that it will offer two special sessions of the CGFNS Certificate Program Qualifying Exam in 2004 for nurses from Canada and Mexico who are eligible for TN status. The exams will be administered on May 12, 2004 and June 9, 2004. CGFNS will accept only online registrations for these two exams. The test centers and registration deadlines are provided below.

The special administration of the exam was prompted by a change in regulations that requires nurses in temporary, nonimmigrant classifications to obtain VisaScreen certificates by July 25, 2004. Previously, these nonimmigrant nurses benefited from a waiver of the VisaScreen requirement. Nurses from Canada and Mexico who are eligible for the nonimmigrant TN category will be required to have their VisaScreen Certificates by July 25, 2004. For a complete overview of the VisaScreen requirement for nonimmigrant health care workers, please see our August 1, 2003 MurthyBulletin article, New Requirements for Foreign Health Care Professionals, available on MurthyDotCom.

The deadline to register for the May exam is April 2, 2004, and the deadline to register for the June exam is May 5, 2004. In addition to the usual requirements for eligibility to sit for the CGFNS Qualifying Exam, applicants for these two exams must be Canadian or Mexican citizens and be eligible for TN status. CGFNS must receive a nurse’s license verification and the required education document prior to the exam deadline date. CGFNS recommends each applicant provide a pre-paid courier envelope (such as FedEx or DHL) to the licensing agency and educational institution to help meet the deadline. This will speed up the process of sending the required documents to CGFNS.

The examinations will be held at the following locations: Detroit, MI #580; Chicago, IL #501; Toronto, Ont. Canada #915; Miami, FL #530; Atlanta, GA #570; Houston, TX #510; and Vancouver, BC Canada #920. Additional information about CGFNS can be accessed online.