English Requirements
However you get your preliminary visa document and whether or not you need a education assessment (e.g. CES) is one thing; but, what if you throw in a different language into all that? We’ll go over what to do!
Before You Begin
The very first thing you should do is join the community of other Canadian to U.S. nurses. We have a Facebook group, Instagram, a Youtube, and this website for tons of resources and support.
English Proficency Exam (EPE) Requirements
For many Canadian to American travel nurses, you may have gotten your nursing education in another language other than English. This is especially true for nurses from Quebec and those who immigrated to Canada from places like the Philippines, etc.
For both the preliminary visa document (CGFNS VisaScreen or Josef Silny VISA4NURSES) and state licensure, you may be required to take an English Proficiency Test.
If your university was taught in French, you will need to take an English Proficiency Test (e.g. TOEFL or IELTS) but check with each state as to which test they prefer (so you can take one that will satisfy the requirements of the preliminary visa document organization AND the state you plan to apply to). Generally, the TOEFL is more universally accepted versus the IELTS. For example, some states that only accept the TOEFL are: California, Hawaii, Georgia, Kansas, Maine, Nevada, and Ohio.
You may not need to complete an English test if your education was done in English, especially at certain universities (e.g. Dawson, Heritage, John Abbott, McGill, Vanier, etc.). The same applies if you are from a country where English is the only/main language (e.g. UK, Ireland, Australia, etc.). Then, you may be exempt; but, if you are from a country or your university was taught in anything other than English, they will most likely want an English test.
Next, we’ll go over both preliminary visa document (and education assessment) organizations and their requirements to see who needs to write an English Proficiency test, who is exempt, etc.
What do the preliminary visa document companies require?
Everyone who isn’t an American citizen or isn’t already there under another work visa, will need a VisaScreen or Visa4Nurses (this is covered in another article).
However, only some states require a ‘Comparative Educational Service (CES)’ which is also provided by those same two companies who provide the preliminary visa documents (this is also in another article too).
Let’s look at what both companies require...
CGFNS VisaScreen & CES
As of May 22nd, 2024
Who Needs to Take the English Proficiency Exam? Applicants for VisaScreen must demonstrate oral and written competency of the English language as mandated by federal law. The English proficiency requirement varies by profession and is demonstrated by achieving a passing score (spoken and written) in one of the tests listed below.
- Cambridge English (B2 First, C1 Advanced, or C2 Proficiency exams)
- TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-based Test)
- TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication)
- IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
- MET (Michigan English Test)
- OET (Occupational English Test)
- Pearson PTE Academic
NOTE: Each exam comes with a fee/cost to write
Who is Exempt? A VisaScreen® applicant may be exempt from taking an English language proficiency examination if they have completed an English-based professional education. To be exempted, an applicant must meet both of the following two criteria:
- Entry-level professional education must have occurred in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada (except Quebec), New Zealand, Ireland or the United States; AND
- English must have been the language of instruction, including the language of the textbooks.
Other:
For Renewal only -- There is an exemption for U.S. work experience. To be exempt from having to take an English language proficiency examination based on having worked in the United States, an applicant must meet the following three criteria:
- Demonstrate employment in the United States for at least 27 months, including nine (9) months employment prior to the date of the renewal order.
- The applicant must be employed in the profession for which they are seeking the VisaScreen® service.
- The U.S. employer must sign and submit an employment summary on corporate letterhead.
For more information, head to CGFNS’s website:
Josef Silny VISA4NURSES & Education Assessment
As of May 22nd, 2024
Who Needs to Take the English Proficiency Exam? In general, applicants who graduated from a nursing program in a country where English is the sole and official language will not be required to submit the English proficiency examination results.
You must receive passing score in one of these English Proficiency Exams:
- Cambridge Assessment English: B2 First, C1 Advanced, or C2 qualifications exams Cambridge English Scale 176 overall and 185 Speaking
- Educational Testing Service: Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Paper-delivered Test 540
- Educational Testing Service: TOEFL Internet-Based Test 81 with minimum of 57 on Reading, Listening, and Writing and 24 on Speaking
- Educational Testing Service: TOEIC (Listening and Reading) 725
- Educational Testing Service TOEIC (Speaking/Writing) 160 Speaking/150 Writing
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS) 6.5 academic with minimum of 7 on Speaking
- Michigan English Test (MET) Overall 55; minimum Speaking section score of 55
- Occupational English Test (OET) OET Grade C+ for Reading, Writing, and Listening OET Grade B for Speaking
- Pearson PTE Academic 55, no section below 50
NOTE: Each exam comes with a fee/cost to write
Who is Exempt? Although it does not say on the website, it is presumed that an applicant may be exempt from taking an English language proficiency examination if they meet both of the following two criteria:
- Entry-level professional education must have occurred in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada (except Quebec), New Zealand, Ireland or the United States; AND
- English must have been the language of instruction, including the language of the textbooks.
For more information, head to Silny’s website:
Remember
Before taking an Enlgish Proficiency exam (EPE), check what EPE is accepted by both the preliminary visa document company and state(s) you plan to apply to. Some states might have their own EPE requirements!
The next consideration is: the nclex
When registering for the NCLEX (which most Quebec nurses will typically not have), you will need to register on the NCSBN website. And you will be asked to enter the code of your nursing program. Unfortunately, Quebec is not part of the provinces list. Instead, use the general program code for Canada which is CA99F00000.
Next Consideration: Translation Services
If your official documents are not in English, you will need them translated.
Any transcripts, diplomas, etc. will need to be translated for applying for your VisaScreen/Visa4Nurses and state license.
You will have two options:
- Allow CGFNS or Josef Silny to translate your documents for a fee (CGFNS charges $85 USD per page) and Josef Silny (High School is $150 USD and post-secondary is $90-$150 USD)
OR
2. Hire a French to English translator (certified by the American Translation Association)*
*I have noticed French nurses highly recommend Rachel Pierce. You can look up the American Translators Association - Rachel Pierce or head to her website here: https://www.rachelpierce.com/
*Be aware that some state boards of nursing only accept translation by translators certified by the American Translation Association (ATA).
Bonus Tip
It has been asked, “What if I graduated from an english program but some of my credits or my first year or two were at another nursing school that wasn’t in english?”
Unfortunately, I suspect when they assess your documents, they’ll probably not waive the english proficency exam requirement. It seems the entire nursing program needs to be in English.
