1. Call our Senior Healthcare Recruiter, Patti Corbett, toll free at (866) 880-6581 to discuss your personal situation and most effective way to proceed.

2. If you have not taken your NCLEX (National Council License Exam for the U.S.) we recommend that you apply for a Minnesota License by contacting www.nursingboard.state.mn.us. Minnesota is very familiar with the requirements for Canadians and they are much faster at processing your license than California and many other states. Once you have applied they will send you a list of test sites closest to your home (you do not have to test in Minnesota).

If you were born outside of North America, we recommend that you apply through Nebraska www.hhs.state.ne.us. Nebraska seems to be more streamlined and familiar with the ENglish proficiency testing.

Unless you recently graduated from nursing school, and/or test extremely well, we recommend a study program to assist you in passing the NCLEX first try. We have had feedback that these two programs have high pass rates and good customer service:

- Anna Stier (905) 868-8600

- Kaplan www.kaplannursing.com

If you fail the NCLEX through Minnesota, you must wait 45 days to retest. If you write through California and fail, you wait 90 days to retest and it can take that board 10 months to send you the ATT (Authorization To Test). Also if you test through California you must wait for your social security number before receiving the California License, which slows things down further.

Other useful sites:

• National Council of State Boards of Nursing www.ncsbn.org
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at www.uscis.gov
• The North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) found on the U.S. Department of State at www.travel.state.gov

3. Once you have your Minnesota License, you will then apply to California for a TEMPORARY license By Endorsement by applying on-line at www.rn.ca.gov. If you apply for a permanent California license by endorsement, you must have your social security card before a permanent license can be issued. For those candidates who write their original NCLEX through California , temporary licenses are not offered and a social security number is required for the license to be issued. When you apply for temporary through Endorsement, you can get your license much more quickly. You will need a fingerprint card.

4. Contact Commission of Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGSFN) at http://www.cgfns.org/ to apply for the Visa Screen on-line. This typically takes 6-8 weeks to process.

5. Contact Patti Corbett, Canadian Relocation Specialist, to arrange for a phone interview with the Clinical Manager of the unit to which you are applying.

6. After passing the NCLEX, fly to Santa Barbara -- at our expense -- for a face-to-face interview and, a tour of our beautiful city.

7. Take your offer letter to the border with supporting documents and receive your TN Visa.

WELCOME TO YOUR NEW HOME!