Exams/Certifications:

Following are information on exams taken by professionals in order to be licensed to practice within the United States.

CGFNS Certification (Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools) 
Ensuring that nurses educated in countries other than the United States (U.S.) are eligible and qualified to meet licensure and other practice requirements in the U.S.

NCLEX® ( National Council Licensure Examination)
The NCLEX is the licensing exam for professional nursing.  It is administered in each of the 50 states, D.C., Guam, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.  The purpose of the exam is to test and ensure the knowledge, skills and abilities required for practice as an entry-level nurse.  As of February 1994, the exam is given through online computers (under Computer Adaptive Testing [CAT]).

IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
Measures the ability to communicate in English across all four language skills ? listening, reading, writing and speaking ? for people who intend to study or work where English is the language of communication.

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
Measures the ability of nonnative speakers of English to use and understand North American English as it is used in college and university settings.

TSE (Test of Spoken English)
Measures the ability of nonnative speakers of English to communicate orally in English.

TWE (Test of Writen English)
Provides information about an examinee's ability to generate and organize ideas on paper, to support those ideas with evidence or examples, and to use the conventions of standard written English.

NPTE (National Physical Therapy Examination)
The National Physical Therapy Examination is a computer-based examination given at the Sylvan Technology (Prometric) Centers nationwide.

ECFMG Certification (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates)
The purpose of ECFMG certification is to assess the readiness of graduates of these schools to enter U.S. residency and fellowship programs that are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). To be certified by ECFMG, you must pass a series of exams; you must also fulfill ECFMG's medical education credential requirements. These requirements include providing ECFMG with copies of your medical diploma, which ECFMG will verify directly with your medical school.

Immigration:

Alien Residency Registration - This document is also known as the "Green Card", granting its holder certain rights including permanent employment in the USA.
For Information on Alien Registration Procedures

H-1 Professional Non-immigrant Visa for USA. Another option an employer in the United States, who has completed the relevant Labor Department Certification, issues this visa upon sponsorship and usually granted for three years and usually extended for an additional 3 years and issued by the U.S. Department of Labor.

NAFTA Visa (TN) (North American Free Trade Agreement)
The NAFTA Visa allows Canadian and Mexican Registered Nurses to enter the U.S. to work for an employer. The TN Visa is issued for one year and can be extended each year that the NAFTA Treaty is in force. The Mexican or Canadian Registered Nurse must obtain the appropriate state licensure and have a Bachelors Degree in Nursing.